


For a Second There We Won

by southside_stories



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2017-11-03
Packaged: 2018-12-22 02:50:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11958171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southside_stories/pseuds/southside_stories
Summary: “For a Second There We Won” follows Alice Smith (married name Cooper) as she navigates life and love during her last summer and senior year at Riverdale High. Including, but not limited to : late night parties, criminal activity, boys being infuriating, best friend drama, and choosing to follow her heart or the path set in front of her. Basically, everything you live for in a teen drama





	1. Alice Got Hot

FP Jones was just putting on his jean vest when he heard the familiar sound of Fred Andrew’s van pulling up to his family’s trailer. Before he could even finish getting ready, Fred was already through the front door and collapsed onto his bed.

“Don’t be so fussy FP,” he said, as FP flipped up the collar of his vest.. “It’s the first day of summer before we graduate and we have a lot of living to do before high school is done.”

FP shrugged as he laced up his boots. Sometimes he couldn’t imagine how he and Fred ever became friends. FP was born into a family that had been on the Southside for generations. He was hardened to the bone and he didn’t share Fred’s enthusiasm. Typically, people who come from a broken home didn’t tend to fare too well.

Fred couldn’t really understand him. His family moved to the North side of Riverdale just before his freshman year. The very definition of a nuclear family, Fred came from  a good home with loving parents and enough money to get him an old van for his 16th birthday. Soon after starting Riverdale High, Fred got into one fight that landed him on the Riverdale chain gang, as they call it, picking up trash near Sweetwater River. That’s when FP, no stranger to delinquency, met him for the first time. For Fred, their friendship was fated. They bonded instantly, despite Fred’s optimistic outlook on life. Fred liked to tell FP it balanced out FP’s generally gloomy demeanor.

As FP grabbed his house keys and made his way out of his bedroom he heard a long whistle leave Fred’s lips. He turned around and saw Fred staring out the window. “Man, Have you seen Alice Smith? She got hot.”

“Loud-mouthed, mousy Alice Smith?.” FP quickly joined Fred at the window. “I didn’t even know she was back.” To his surprise, Alice had indeed gotten hot. His eyes slowly moved over her body as she jumped out of her dad’s car, swinging a duffel bag behind her. In the year since FP had seen her last, Alice seemed to have matured. Her hips were wider and she had filled out. Her shaved head was now full of brown hair that fell down her back. She was definitely not the gangly girl he had grown up with. Before FP could avert his eyes, Alice raised her head and looked straight at him  

 

\------

“Take a photo—it’ll last longer, idiots,” Alice yelled, ignoring her father’s scowl. She had only been back for 20 minutes and she already felt stifled. Not that living in Greendale with her aunt was better. That house was so strict that Alice had actually looked forward to finally coming home, but she wasn’t prepared for what being home meant. All she knew was that she wanted to spend this summer with Maia before they went their separate ways.

She imagined nights full of parties and dancing under the stars. Alice just wanted one perfect summer with her best friend Maia, before everything changed.

“Maia,” Alice said in surprise as she entered her bedroom. “How did you even get in here?” She tossed her bag into the corner and jumped on the bed next Maia, trying to hide the smile that spread across her face.

“Please, how many years have we known each other? I am a master at sneaking into your house by now,” she laughed. “Don’t try to hide your excitement from me, girl. I know living in  your aunt’s puritanical house was hell.  For one thing, you couldn’t see fabulous _me_ for weeks.” Maia flipped through the pages of a YM she’d taken from her neighbor’s before tossing it on the floor.

Maia and Alice had been inseparable since they were six years old. Some of the other neighborhood kids had been picking on Alice on the way home from school one day, when a tiny afroed girl came out of nowhere. Just as Mustang was about to push Alice down, Maia had gone up to him, half his size, and hit him square in the face. Since then Alice had always admired Maia’s fearless nature, even when it got them into trouble. Even so, despite the consequences, Alice wouldn’t trade her for anything.

“Alice, I—oh, hi Maia,” Mr. Smith spared her a passing glance. “Your mother is going to be late so she won’t be at dinner.” Alice gave him a look of acknowledgement before signaling for him to get out.

“I’ve got plans for Alice tonight anyway, Mr. S,” Maia said with a mischievous grin. “Don’t worry, I won’t keep her out any later than usual.”

Mr. Smith turned slightly red before leaving the room. He had decided it wasn’t worth  his energy to deal with those two, and at any rate he hoped Alice wouldn’t be friends with Maia much longer. He had no idea why his daughter had tied herself to that nobody of a girl. Being stuck living on the Southside was one of his biggest failings, and he couldn’t accept that anyone like Maia could be so proud of living in this dump.

“Plans for me?” Alice asked curiously.

“Yeah, it was supposed to be a surprise but the Whyte Wyrm agreed to host a welcome back party,” Maia told her. “We missed you. This place wasn’t the same without our Angry Alice,” Maia teased .  Alice rolled her eyes. She hated that nickname, but she also couldn’t dispute it. Her generally loud and aggressive demeanor was well known.

“And now that your boobs have finally come in, tonight is the night you can get yourself a serpent in training for the summer.”

Maia squawked as Alice pushed her off the bed before going went to her closet to look for something to wear to her surprise party. As if reading her mind, Maia produced the bag she’d brought and unzipped it with a flourish.

“We both know you have nothing to wear to match your new...assets. So, I brought some of my clothes over for you to try on.” Maia pulled out an impressive array of clothes on the bed, giving Alice time to look over each piece.

“I want you to have the welcome back you deserve, so leave the outfit to me,” Maia said as she pulled out a dress and opened her makeup caboodle.

 

\------

 

It was dusk when Alice and Maia made their way to the Whyte Wyrm.

“Now remember, act surprised,” Maia said, walking a few steps in front of her. They’d spent the entire day perfecting their looks for the party. Maia had convinced Alice to go out in a dress more revealing than she’d usually wear, but she couldn’t deny she felt powerful in it. It felt like the beginning of a perfect night.

Alice saw a face quickly appear in the window of the Whyte Wyrm before the lights turned off. Maia stepped inside first before Alice crossed the threshold to a loud “Surprise!” from all inside. While Alice smirked at them, looking around the room coolly, she couldn’t help her heart from melting at the sight. She hadn’t realized how much she missed this place before being gone for an entire year. This was the first time today she felt truly welcomed back. Her dad couldn’t seem to care less that she was back and her mom didn’t even try to get off work on time. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, it had stung. She pushed those thoughts aside as she made her way around the room.

Michelle, Jimena, and Angela were in a group, as always. They each gave her a brief hug, complimenting her on growing her hair out and catching her up on everything she missed. Apparently, Michelle’s boyfriend had finally been made into a full Serpent, while Jimena and Angela were planning to go to New York for the summer. At her side, Maia handed Alice a cup while she continued her tour through the room. As she greeted everyone in the room she couldn’t help but feeling as though someone was watching her. Out of the corner of her eye, leaning against the wall with a beer dangling from his fingers, was FP Jones. Their eyes met  and immediately she froze, her smile turning briefly into a scowl.

Alice and FP’s history wasn’t the greatest. He had been apart of Mustang’s group in school and Alice did her best to kept her distance, but it wasn’t easy when Fred always wanted to hang around Maia.

“Earth to Alice.” Maia was waving her hand in front of Alice’s face. “I get you’re making the rounds, but you’ve been so quiet since you’ve gotten back. You didn’t even tell me about your year in Greendale. We also need to plan our class schedules for next year.” At the mention of school Alice’s expression tightened.

“Can’t we do all that later? Tonight, I just want to enjoy being back.” She took another sip of her drink as Fred approached, with FP trailing behind.

“Maia, looking great as always,” Fred said, sliding next to her. Maia’s head rolled back with a smile.

“Fred, you’re cute for a white boy, but haven’t we been down this road before? In fact, every summer.”

“Well, it is the season,” Fred said as he put his arm around her. “Why don’t we talk about it while I grab you a refill.” Alice watched as the two of them shuffled off in the direction of the bar and out the door.

“Angry Alice. Back from the dead,” FP said.

“Fuckup Jones,” she retorted, pointing a finger at  his face. “I see you’re attempting to grow facial hair.” FP shook his head and reached a hand toward her hips. He opened his mouth to say something just as Alice grabbed his wrist. “I suggest if you don’t want to lose that hand, you’ll keep it to yourself.”

FP dropped his hand and shook his head again. “Still as fiery as ever I see.” He sounded more amused than annoyed. Alice let out a small chuckle, standing there examining him. She wasn’t sure why FP was still hanging around, since he and Fred were attached at the hip, but she found she didn’t mind it as much as she had before.

Alice heard the jukebox kick on as the crowd erupted. FP offered his hand to Alice. “Let me be the first to welcome you back with a dance.”

She reluctantly agreed and joined him on the dance floor. As she danced with him, she noticed he was watching her closely. She felt her heartbeat quickening.

Then out of nowhere, Rick appeared and tapped FP on the shoulder. “It’s time,” Rick grunted, motioning to the back room.

FP nodded, leaning down to Alice’s ear. “Thanks for the dance, but I have to go.” Alice nodded wordlessly and watched as he and Rick sauntered off. She knew FP had been doing odd jobs for the Serpents, but maybe he was finally going to get his leather jacket this summer.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Maia joined her on the floor, her deep brown skin glistening. “How was that refill?” Alice asked.

Maia just laughed and pulled Alice closer. “Well, you know how it is, Fred is just such a sweet talker.”

As the next song came on, Alice tried to clear her thoughts and focus on this night. This was the first day of summer after all—no need to worry about things that weren’t going to matter for months.

_Right_ , Alice thought. _Nothing is changing. Not yet._


	2. The Long Road Home

Alice was stretched out on her bed writing in her journal. She had started writing everything down last year when she was adjusting to life in Greendale. It helped calm her thoughts.

After all that time she’d spent wishing she was home, being here was more overwhelming than she remembered. Every day her father left college brochures in the kitchen, urging her to plan her future and shooting her disapproving looks every time she left the house to meet up with Maia. On top of that, her mother had been working nights for weeks. They hadn’t even had  a chance to catch up. It made her feel alone.

She heard a knock on the window as she was closing her notebook and looked up to see Maia waving at her. She placed her notebook in her nightstand before walking to the window and opening it.

“Are you ready?” Maia asked impatiently. When Alice didn’t immediately answer, Maia quickly climbed into the room. “For the party at Sweetwater River. Fred’s waiting outside with the van. Come on! Let’s go.”

“Oh right,” Alice said, looking around for her bathing suit.

“Can’t believe you forgot.” Maia said as she sat on Alice’s bed. “It feels like you’ve been somewhere else lately.”

Alice didn’t respond and quickly pulled on her swimsuit and some shorts. She shoved a few items in a bag before heading out her bedroom door. “I’ll meet you around the front.”

Alice and Maia climbed into the back of Fred’s van as he closed the door behind them.

“Hey FP,” Alice said as she took her seat. He was sitting on the passenger’s side, wearing his usual uniform–jeans,a flannel shirt, and a scowl. “You don’t really look ready for a day in the sun,” she joked.

“His style is unorthodox,” Maia whispered to Alice with a smile.

“But effective,” she responded and the two of them began to laugh. FP looked at them over his shoulder with a confused look on his face, which only made them laugh harder.

“What’s so funny?” Fred asked as he jumped into the driver’s seat. FP just shrugged as Maia and Alice continued to giggle in the back. “Girls, man,” Fred said as they pulled out.  

 

\----

 

Alice was laying on a blanket at the river’s edge as dusk approached. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked back at FP, who was sitting in one of the chairs he and Fred brought.

“It’s been awhile,” she said, referring to the disappearance of Fred and Maia.

“Mhmm,” he responded. They sat there in silence for a moment before he spoke. “Why do they even invite us if they just disappear the moment we get anywhere?”

“Group hangouts are safer.” She sat up and looked around at the crowd of people packing up, hoping their friends might be on their way back.

“What do you mean?” FP asked, intrigued.

“Well,” Alice began. “I know Maia invites me to...I’m not sure I should say. Feels like I’m breaking some ancient girl code.”

“Your secret is safe with me,” he said with a smirk.

Alice turned to him and gave a small smile. “Well, Fred can be a bit too, uh, forward at times. So I come along as an excuse–a way to either ignore or escape from him.”

“Ahh...” FP slowly nodded. He knew Fred asked him along so he wouldn’t seem as interested in Maia. He felt good knowing the ruse didn’t work. “Is she not–”

“It isn’t that,” Alice interrupted. “It’s just, well, she wants to make sure it stays a bit of summer fun, you know?”

“Maybe you should go back to the van. See if they’re there?” he suggested.

“ _ No. _ ” Alice said emphatically. “I had to do it last time and I saw some things I can’t unsee.” She laid back down on the blanket. “Your turn.”

“Fair,” FP said as he got up. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” Alice gave him a thumbs up and closed her eyes, letting the sounds of the rushing water soothe her. She might have been stuck with near-mute FP, but at least it was a beautiful day.

 

\----

 

“They’ve left us.” FP’s voice interrupted Alice’s relaxation. 

“What?!” Alice asked in disbelief, her eyes flying open. There was no way Maia would leave her stranded at the river.

“Uhh...I didn’t see the van anywhere.” He shifted uncomfortably under Alice’s glare. “Walked around the cars a few times and–”

“Dammit,” Alice muttered, rubbing her temples and trying to calm herself down so she didn’t yell at him. It wasn’t FP’s fault they left. “How are we supposed to get back?”

“Walk?” FP shrugged.

“Ugh..that’ll take a couple of hours.” Alice couldn’t keep the agitation out of her voice.

“Then we better get started.” FP started to pack up their gear.

“Leave it,” Alice said, grabbing her bag and walking past FP. “I’m not carrying any of this stuff back. If Fred wants it so badly he can get it later.” FP didn’t argue and followed behind Alice wordlessly.

 

\----

 

Alice was thankful the night was warm, considering she and FP had been walking for over an hour since the sun had set. Most of the walk had been in silence–except for the occasional suggestion to take a break–and Alice was getting bored. She slowed her pace to walk in step with FP. 

“So,” she began. Alice had no idea what to talk to him about. For all the time they’d been forced together, she actually didn’t know anything about FP aside from his connection with the Serpents. “I just realized we’ve spent almost 2 summers being ditched by Fred and Maia and I don’t know anything about you.”  Alice smiled and waited for him to respond. All she got was a shrug. “Like...what do you do for fun?”

“Nothing really,” he muttered.

Alice let out an exaggerated sigh. “FP, we have a long way until we’re back and I’m going insane with all this silence. I promise, if you say more than 3 sentences to me, you aren’t going to burst into flames.”

He chuckled. “I guess,” he said quietly. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again. “I mean, just ride around with Fred mostly. We started playing some music. I dunno, we’re thinking about starting a band maybe.”

“You guys any good?”

“Uhh, we’re awful.”

Alice laughed, surprising them both  “Okay so, maybe let’s not talk about that.” She racked her brain for ideas. “What’s going on with you and the Serpents then?” Alice noticed the slight pause in FP’s step. “It isn’t really a secret. You’re always around the bar and I saw you with Rick at my party. What’s that all about?”

“Do you think Fred knows?” FP asked, uncertainly.

“I have no idea. Why?” Alice didn’t understand his trepidation. Sure, she thought their friendship was a bit mismatched, but she assumed Fred knew about FP working with the Serpents.

“I haven’t told him.” FP sighed. “He wouldn’t understand.”

Alice was surprised FP was keeping such a big secret from Fred, but then, it’s not like she was one to talk. “Understand what?”

“We’re not supposed to talk about what we do with the Serpents.” Alice noticed how FP had expertly avoided her question. She dropped it, for now, but she was now a little more curious about Fred and FP’s friendship.

“Well,” she said, “I shared an ancient female secret with you today so the least you could do is  return the favor.” She playfully elbowed him as they walked. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone and it’ll pass the time.”

FP glanced at her sideways, took a deep breath.“I’m really close to becoming a full member. That night at your party, they gave me a couple of final assignments to do. I’m just...having a little trouble with the last one.”

“What is it?” Alice was curious about what people had to do to get into the gang. This was as close as she’d ever come to someone going through initiation.

“I really shouldn’t–”

“Come on,” she coaxed. “It’s just me.”

“I don’t why I’m telling you this,” he sighed. “Okay, so I gotta steal this thing–a ledger–from the guy who handles their money. He keeps it in this office not too far from the bar.”

“Okay,” Alice nodded knowingly. “How long have you been tailing him? What are the easy access points in the office?”

FP looked taken aback by her response. “I have no idea. Just got the assignment last week and I tried to get it a couple days ago, but...didn’t get anywhere.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Alice was relieved as they approached familiar landmarks. “You’re going about it all wrong. You can’t just strong-arm the office of a man who handles money for a gang. Ya gotta be methodical.”

“How do you know about this stuff?” FP asked. He realized he also didn’t know Alice as well as he thought.

Alice just laughed, ignoring the question. “I can give you some advice. Help out if ya want. Stealing things really isn’t hard–people are dumb and predictable. Just need a bit of patience is all.”

“Okay,” FP said as they arrived at the trailer park. “But can we do it tonight? I really want to get started.”

Alice looked at the sky. The moon had already risen and the sky was full of stars.“I don’t think your parents are going to want you to have someone over at this hour.”

“Oh, right. Tomorrow then?” They had reached Alice’s home.

“Um, alright. I’ll come by.” Alice waved at him before going inside. Outside, FP watched as she was greeted by her parents, who seemed to be scolding her. His place was just a few homes down the street. He placed the key in the door and opened it, hoping to see someone. Instead he was met with only darkness and silence. Sighing, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and collapsed into his father’s empty chair.


	3. This Will Never Work

“Alright, so what have you learned?” Alice sat at the kitchen table in FP’s house. She had told him to spend the past couple days tailing the guy and checking out his office.

FP joined her at the table, handing her a mug of coffee. “Uhh, well. He never really leaves.” Alice took a sip of the coffee and made a face. “Sorry, we only have instant,” FP said.

“It’s fine.” She set it down carefully and made a mental note not to drink it. “Be more specific. What do you mean he never leaves?”

“I watched him for 2 days and the only time I ever saw him leave was around lunchtime. Even then, he didn’t leave until someone else arrived.” FP sounded frustrated. So far, Alice’s advice hadn’t gotten him anywhere.

“Interesting,” Alice said slowly. “This other man, had you ever seen him before?” She had an inkling this might be the break they needed.

“Once maybe.” FP racked his brain. “ Might be the guy I saw on the first night as I was leaving.”

“You left when someone you hadn’t seen showed up?” Alice sighed. She felt as if he wasn’t even listening to her. “FP, you have to be more diligent. You’re not going to find your opening if you leave when something important happens.”

“Sorry, I’m not some sort of criminal mastermind like you  _ apparently  _ are,” he huffed. Alice rolled her eyes and started to stand up.

“I don’t even know why I’m trying to fucking help you.” She grabbed the mug of coffee, walked to the sink, and plonked it on the pile of dirty dishes. “If you’re going act like this at the first sign of difficulty, you’ll never get in. But I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise. You seem to have done fuck all with the rest of your life.” She started to head toward the door.

FP stood up to block her way. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” His voice began to rise in anger.

Alice took a step closer to him. “Please. Are you trying to scare me?” she laughed. “What I mean is you don’t do anything. You didn’t  _ do _ anything when we were in school together and you’re not  _ doing  _ anything now.” FP didn’t respond and Alice stood there glaring at him until he moved aside. “Just like I thought. Not so tough.”

Alice stomped down the steps of the trailer, angry she had wasted time on helping him.  _ Why do I even try _ , she thought to herself. It wasn’t as if she owed him anything, but the way he’d leapt at her offer of help made her feel bad for him. She couldn’t  imagine being so desperate to get into the Serpents. Before she could dwell on it any more, she heard Maia calling her name. Rolling her eyes, she quickened her pace in the opposite direction.

“Come on, Alice. I said I was sorry,” Maia called breathlessly, running after her.

“You left me stranded, Maia,” Alice huffed when Maia finally caught up to her. “I had to walk home. With FP, of all people! It took  _ forever. _ ” She was still angry with Maia over what happened at the river. “Why the hell did you suddenly decide to disappear with Fred?”

“I know.” Maia hung her head dramatically. “But it wasn’t my fault, alright! We were about to come back to you guys when one of the officers patrolling the lot caught us. He saw some old beer cans in the back of the van and smelled the smoke and kicked us out. The guy literally watched us leave.”

“Still, you could’ve–”

“At least you weren’t alone, right? FP was there.”

“If you consider him some form of company.”

“You must, or why else would you be leaving his place?” Maia asked with a raised eyebrow.

Alice didn’t know how to answer. On one hand, it was Maia; she was sure she wasn’t going to say anything. But she was way too close to Fred and she’d promised FP she wouldn’t tell anyone. “He just...he needed some help with something,” Alice said with a shrug. “No big deal.”

“You sure?” Maia scoffed, glancing at her suspiciously. “I mean, I saw you two dancing at your party and you’re being pretty generous with your time for someone you don’t consider ‘company.’”

Alice rolled her eyes again. “Don’t start. It’s nothing. We were walking home and he just mentioned needing some help. It’s more of a favor to him for getting us back safely. That’s it.”

“Good,” Maia said, frowning. “There’s something off with the Jones family. And I don’t want you getting mixed up with them.”

“What do you mean?” Alice hadn’t heard too much about his family. Their parents didn’t know each other and in school FP was only known for being constantly in trouble, mainly for truancy. Alice and Maia had come to the open field next to the trailer park and sat down in a cool, grassy spot.

“You don’t know about the Jones Family Curse?” Maia intoned ominously. Alice looked at her blankly. “Oh, I forget your family isn’t from ‘round here. Well, jeez, I dunno, my parents went to school with his dad. Their family’s just, well, a bunch of fuck-ups.”

“Being a fuck-up isn’t a curse,” Alice corrected.

“Right, but there’s more. Entire generations of Joneses have lived here and none of them – the ones that survive anyway – have ever been anything but deadbeats. Growing up I always overheard my parents and neighbors whispering about them. FP’s dad wasn’t much in high school and he had a bad reputation – always drinking and fighting and disappearing. Nobody was surprised when he got a girl pregnant, but they were damn surprised he married her and tried to settle down. FP’s mom though...” Maia looked to the side as if someone might be eavesdropping. “She’s nuts.”

“What’d  you mean?” Alice leaned closer, just in case.

“My mom worked with her for a while. They were both secretaries at the same construction company and FP’s mom seemed normal at first. But then slowly it became pretty clear she was a bit ‘off’. She just started taking off for long chunks of time without telling anyone, and when she came back, she always had some insane story about going out west and making it as an actress, how she’d been cast in some huge blockbuster and was gonna be rich and famous someday. Never even remembered she had a kid to take care of.” Maia shrugged. “My mom checked in on them once and she said she found FP just sitting alone outside of their trailer. Said he’d got home from school and was locked out. Think he was like 10 or something.”

Alice didn’t really know how to respond. She didn’t actually think any of this was true.  _ This has to be just gossip _ , she thought to herself. People did love to spin tales.

“I’m just saying,” Maia continued, her familiar face turning dark and serious. “Look at FP now, he’s the same as his dad – drinking, fighting, skipping school. Some families, it's just generation after generation of bad blood. You get too close to him, Alice, and he'll drag you right down with him.”

 

\---

Alice awoke to the sound of soft knocking on her window. She turned to look at the clock, but was too tired to read the numbers. Pulling her notebook off of her chest, she placed it in her nightstand and turned on the light. She looked outside and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw FP’s face hovering solemnly on the other side.Throwing off her covers, Alice stumbled over to the window, opening it.

“What the hell?” she demanded, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She hadn’t expected to see him after this morning.

“You – you were right. About the guy. And the opening, and – ” he stammered.

“Shh! You’ll wake my parents,” Alice hissed. She pulled on a pair of shoes and crept outside quickly, motioning for him to follow her around the back of the house.

“Alright,” she turned to him when they’d moved a safe distance away. “What the hell are you talking about? Say it again.” Alice waited for him to respond, but noticed FP’s eyes were fixed on her. She followed his gaze down to the lower half of her body. She’d forgotten she was only wearing a shirt. Annoyed, she snapped her fingers at him. “Hey! Eyes up here.”

“Right.” FP shook his head. “Uh, I found a way in, but I need you...I mean, I need your help.” He rubbed the back of his neck, waiting for her to answer.

“I don’t know,” Alice said slowly. “You didn’t really want my help last time – ”

“Look, you were right,” he said impatiently. “I wasn’t really trying. I went back after you left and spent almost the entire day there. I have a plan – well, most of one – and I need your help to make it perfect.” He stood there for a moment, waiting for her response. “Please, Alice. This is...it’s important to me,” he said softly.

Alice weighed her options. On one hand, she was still pissed at him about earlier and she didn’t really want to go out of her way to help him, especially if it meant serious consequences. Her parents had asked her to stay away from any trouble this summer, and helping FP in a robbery was basically the polar opposite of that.

On the other hand, she did love a challenge.

“Alright,” she said finally, and noticed his face light up for a moment before returning to its usual stoic state.

“Cool,” he said, trying to seem nonchalant. “I know it’s late, but I think we should talk about it tonight, so we can use tomorrow to get ready.”

“Alright.” Alice sighed. “Just let me get dressed.”

 

\----

 

Alice heard FP cut on a few lights as she followed him through the door. She didn’t think it was possible, but his house seemed even messier than before. FP picked up a few pieces of clothing and stray sheets of newspaper before gesturing for her to take a seat on the couch.

 

“Actually, wait, where’s the bathroom?” she asked.

 

“Just down there to the left,” he pointed. 

 

\----

 

Alice left the bathroom, switching off the light. Instead of heading back to the living room, though, she began slowly making her way through FP’s darkened home. Her mind was still on the conversation with Maia earlier about the Jones family.  Giving into her curiosity, she walked through the first open door she saw. Inside, there were mounds of clothing strewn across the floor and the unmade bed, Queen posters on the walls. A guitar was propped up in the corner. Alice was surprised there wasn’t much else.  _ He really doesn’t have any interests _ , she thought, backing out of the room. 

She looked back toward the front of the trailer to see FP continuing to pick up a few things in the living room.  _ Next room. _ On the other side of FP’s room was a closed door. She carefully opened it to peek inside, expecting to see FP’s parents sleeping. Instead, the room was empty. She walked further in and took a look around. Not only was there no one in there, she also noticed the closet was empty.  _ Jesus, Maia was right _ , was the only thought she could muster.

“What are you doing?” FP’s voice came from behind her.

“ _ Shit _ ,” Alice muttered to herself and quickly backed out of the room, closing the door. “I was just – ” She had no idea how to talk her way out of this. She turned around to look at FP, who remained silent. “It’s just...Where are your parents?” The question came out before she could stop herself.

FP shrugged, not looking her in the eye. “Dunno.”

Alice couldn’t hide the confused look on her face. “Well, how long have they been gone?”

“A while, okay?” he replied, impatiently. “Look, can we just talk about this plan?” He turned around and walked back to the living room. Alice followed him silently and took a seat on the sofa, a pang of sadness in her stomach. She wanted to say something to reassure him, but he’d started to speak.

“Okay,” FP began. “So I went back today and it was the same thing. Same, as in he didn’t leave the office except around lunch and traded places with the same guy as before. I’m about to leave and figure out another way in when, suddenly, a car blows a tire in front of the building and–”

“Hold on. I know where this is going, FP. It won’t work.” Alice put her feet up on the sofa to get comfortable. “You think if you fake a flat tire or an accident he’s going to let you in? Not gonna happen.” Alice was annoyed he had invited her over here for this. His plan was straight out of a heist movie.

“Not me,” he said. “You.”

“Still no–”

“It will. Alice, the driver was a woman, an attractive one. You could tell the guy definitely wanted to be the hero. Hell, I know it’s dumb, but sometimes the best option is the simplest one.”

“I still don’t see how this is going to work,” Alice responded.

FP snapped. “Don’t be so dense, Alice. Look, let’s not ignore the fact that you’re beautiful, alright. Some men’d do anything for a beautiful woman and I think he will.” He crossed his arms.

Alice was silent for a beat, surprised by what he’d said. “Gosh, you think I’m beautiful?” She grinned, batting her eyelashes.

“Objectively speaking,” FP rolled his eyes. “It might not work, but we gotta try. I’ll be no worse off if we fail.”

“Fine,” she said. “Let’s think this through.”

 

\--

 

“ _ Fuck _ ,” Alice said as she hopped into the driver’s side of the truck, throwing the books and her bloodied knife onto the floor. She frantically began searching for the keys as FP fell into the passenger's side. “Where are the keys?” she asked. FP opened the glove compartment. Alice grabbed the keys, started the car, and reversed as fast as she could out of the alley. 

“I told you it wouldn’t work,” she said as she drove them back to the trailer park. “And look at you.” She glanced over as FP coughed up blood into his hand.

“We got it though,” he said, wiping his hand on his jeans. They sat in silence until the rows of home came into view. “Head to the bar.” FP directed.

“You can do it in the morning. You need–”

“Alice,” he said with all the strength he could muster, “I just wanna  finish this.” She nodded reluctantly and drove past their homes, in the direction of the Whyte Wyrm. When they arrived, she parked in the lot and turned to FP.

“You barely made it out of there. How are you going to carry these inside?” she asked, motioning to the two leather books on the floor. She saw FP wince as he picked them up and slowly hopped out of the truck.  _ He’s being so stubborn _ , she thought as she grabbed her knife and followed him out. When they reached the door he stopped her.

“You can’t...I have to do this alone. I’ll find you later.” FP clumsily attempted to open the door several times before Alice took over.

“Like hell you will.” She stepped in front of him. “I just put myself on the line for this. For fuck’s sake, I stabbed a guy, FP – for you. No way you’re keeping me out of this.”

“I know. It’s just. We’re not supposed to have guests.’Specially not during something like this. I’ll see you tom–”

“I’ll wait then.” Alice might give up on going inside, but she wasn’t letting him go off alone, not in his condition. He opened his mouth to protest, but she spoke first. “You’re a mess and nobody’s home to look after you. I’m not leaving you, alright? End of discussion.” He gave her a half smile before walking inside.

 

\---

 

“I hope it was worth it,” Alice called to FP from the kitchen of his family’s trailer. She watched as he tenderly placed his new leather jacket on the chair. As she walked into the living room, she motioned for him to lie on the couch.

She sat on the edge of the sofa, carefully placing the rubbing alcohol, warm water and a few packs of  frozen vegetables on the ground.

“It is,” FP said with a smile. Alice couldn’t help but smile back – she could see how happy he was. She wrung out a towel and began to gently wipe the blood from his face.

“This might sting,” she said as she finished with the water and started to treat the cuts on his face with the rubbing alcohol. They sat in silence for a few moments while she tenderly cleaned each wound.

“Why do you want this so much? I mean, you took a real beating today.” She still couldn’t understand why he would want to live life like this. She picked up one of the packs of frozen vegetables and placed it on his black eye.

“It won’t be this bad all the time. I’ll learn to plan better.” FP steadied the makeshift ice pack on his eye while Alice unbuttoned his shirt. “And those guys’ve really been there for me. Like Rick, he always took me in when things was bad at home.” He winced as Alice pressed against the bruise on his ribs.

“Sorry,” she muttered as she continued to press down. She wanted to make sure nothing was broken. “This isn’t even that bad, FP. Things can get a lot worse. I know they’ve been there for you, but is it worth your life?”

“Wouldn’t have a life without ‘em,” he muttered. He pulled the frozen vegetables from his eye and sat up, face inches from Alice’s. “Besides, why d’you care so much? Until a week ago you wouldn’t even give me the time of day and now you’re worrying about my life.”

Alice held his gaze. “I don’t...I mean…” she trailed off for a moment, collecting her thoughts. “Things are fucked up right now, I get that, but you shouldn’t make a life-changing decision based on it. Don’t be so quick to throw your future away, FP. Things’ll get better; you’ll find other people who care about you who won’t ask such a high price in return. That’s all I’m saying.”

FP nodded, but he made no move to lie back down. Alice could feel her heart start fluttering like it did when they danced. Once again she was hyper-aware of how close they were, so close that she could feel FP’s breath on her cheek. She knew getting involved with him would be trouble, Maia’s warning echoing in her head, but she couldn’t stop her body from reacting as she stared into those deep, uncertain eyes. At this moment all she could think of was how good it would feel to kiss him, to reassure him that everything would be alright. “FP,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” he responded softly.

“Kiss me.”


	4. Summer's End

Alice leaned on the door frame, silhouetted in the darkened room.

“You know,” she said, unfolding her knife. “If you’d just come clean, you wouldn’t be in this situation.” She slowly walked up to the bound man, letting the blade hover inches above his cheek.

“Now, now,” FP cautioned from the other side of the room. “No marks.” He was rustling through the kitchen drawers of the studio apartment. In the middle of the room sat the assistant to the Serpents’ former money launderer, bound to a chair. The assistant and his boss had been laying low after the two ledgers went missing, but when the Serpents caught wind that the assistant was back in town, FP had been assigned to find him and retrieve the money, by any means necessary.

They’d come up with a plan to lure the guy back to his place. Alice was the bait.

“You always send little girls to– _ow_!” The man jerked back, tipping the chair over. He crashed to the floor, bleeding from a gash on his cheek.

“Sorry,” Alice smirked. “This little girl’s hand slipped.” She heard FP sigh as he continued to search through the remaining drawers.

“What do we have here, James?” FP said as he pulled a roll of cash from a drawer and fingered through the bills. James didn’t respond. Walking to the phone, FP punched in a few numbers to page Rick before hanging up. Then he turned to Alice, stuffing the cash into his jacket. “Let’s go.”

Alice folded her knife and smirked again. “Bye-bye, James.” She grabbed FP’s arm as he walked past her and they made their way out the door.  

“Gets more fun every time,” Alice said, sliding into the passenger’s seat.

“That’s scary, Alice.” FP grinned at her as he started the car and pulled out of the lot. Alice laughed, watching FP as he drove. For a while she studied the lines of his face and the furrow in his brow. _He looks worried._

“Hey,” she said softly. “What’re you thinking?”

FP cast her a quick glance. “Nothing,” he muttered. She opened her mouth to say something when he turned on the radio and started to flip through the channels. _I thought we were past this,_ she lamented. Alice leaned her head against the window and stared at the starless sky, watching as the pitch black landscape gave way to street lights, familiar buildings, and finally the Whyte Wyrm. They were back.

Before FP could open the door, Alice grabbed him, pulling him towards her and kissing him gently. She watched a smile spread across FP face.

“What’s that for?”

“Nothing,” she murmured, kissing him again. “Let’s go inside.” FP stopped her before she could open the door.

“Stay here. I’ll...” He trailed off. “Just going to drop off the cash. I’ll only be a moment.” He jumped out of the driver’s side and headed toward the entrance.

Alice was annoyed, but she didn’t protest. “Wait,” she called out, as the wind began to blow over her bare shoulders. “Your jacket? It’s a bit cold.” FP removed the money from the inner pocket and handed it to her through the window before heading inside.  

She hopped out of the passenger’s seat, sliding the jacket on, and lit a cigarette in an attempt to warm up. Alice knew something was off with FP. He was usually quiet after finishing a job, but this was the first time they’d ridden in silence. No matter how hard she tried, there always seemed to be things he wouldn't share. She did her best to not dwell on it, but she didn’t know how to be there for him if he didn’t tell her.

Movement from the corner of her eye pulled Alice from her thoughts. She stiffened when she saw Mustang approaching with two other trainees in tow. Mustang’s icy eyes gave her the once-over, making Alice’s skin crawl.

“FP into sharing?” he asked with a lewd smirk, reaching for her. “I know you and me could–” Before he could finish, Alice hit him across the face. Mustang fell to the ground with a surprised _Fuck_!, holding his nose and writing on the ground. The other two stalked forward towards Alice, who rested her hand over her knife.

“Hey!” FP’s voice boomed through the parking lot. The trainees stopped in their tracks and took a few steps backwards. FP sauntered over to the group, standing between Alice and Mustang, who was struggling to pull himself up.

“She...she...” Mustang sputtered, blood pouring from his nose, but FP didn’t respond. He grabbed Alice’s arm and pulled her away, leaving Mustang bellowing curses on the ground behind them.

When they had put some distance between them and the bar, Alice yanked her arm from his grip. “I don’t need you to defend me,” she said, with an edge of annoyance. “I could have–”

“You just don’t know when to leave well enough alone, do you?” FP snapped, keeping a few paces in front of her. Alice blinked at him in surprise. She’d never seen him this on edge before and usually he was all for her standing up for herself.

“But he–”

“Look. I’m sure Mustang deserved it, but those other two...” He took a deep breath. “They’re still trying to prove themselves. They’d do anything to show they’re tough. _Anything_. And I can’t...” He trailed off, pushing the door of his home open and turning on the lights.

“FP, I know–”

“That’s the problem. You don’t!” His back was to her, voice shaking with tension.

Alice started to defend herself, but changed her mind. She knew she hadn’t done anything wrong; this was about something else. Cautiously she approached him from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his back. “Don’t be angry,” she said soothingly. “Nothing happened.”

FP took a deep breath. “I’m not...I just…I don’t want anything to happen to you, alright?” He turned to look her in the eyes. “I don’t got much going on, Alice. Besides the gang and...you.” He remained silent for a moment and Alice didn’t know how to respond. She was shocked he was being so open, it was the first time he admitted they were together. Despite spending every night together since their first kiss, he kept telling her it was nothing more than biology. Her heart began to swell, a sudden rush of tenderness. Before she could respond, he tried again. “Look, if th–”

“Just shut up for one second.” She wasn’t exactly sure how to respond without scaring him off. In the end she kissed him softly and said, “It’s fine, alright?” They both smiled and FP let out a relieved laugh. She closed her eyes, attempting to savor the moment before pressing her lips to his again and slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

“We shouldn’t,” he said softly, his face still inches from her. “Thought you had to meet Maia?” Alice responded by trailing kisses along his collarbone while she reached into his jeans, taking him into her hand. She smiled as his breath became ragged and a single _fuck_ escaped his lips. She could feel the heat radiating from his skin. It was intoxicating.

FP pushed her against the wall, crushing their bodies together and kissing her feverishly. Her thoughts began to melt away as his fingers entered her. Her hips began to move with each stroke. “Forsythe,” she breathed. Her body was on fire and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold on. She needed him.

He leaned into kiss her again, hands reaching up under the Serpents’ jacket. His fingers traced the top of her bra for a moment, before he unhooked it and in one motion he pulled her bra and strapless dress down, both falling to her ankles. “I want you to keep the jacket on this time,” he whispered.

“You sure?” she gasped as he began to kiss her neck. She trembled as his hands tenderly squeezed her ass. “You worked so hard for it. I don’t want to make it dir– _ah_!” Alice lost her senses as he lifted her against the wall and entered her. With every thrust, her arms wrapped tighter around his neck.

“Were you saying something?” He smirked.

“You’re a jackass, you know that?” she said between gasps.

“Yeah,” he said, kissing her softly. “But I’m your jackass.”

\--- 

Alice crawled through Maia’s open window.

“ _Finally_ ,” Maia called from her bed, sitting up and tossing the magazine she was flipping through to the ground. Alice came over and flopped down on the bed next to her. “I thought you were going to be here earlier.”

“Sorry.” Alice rolled over to look at her friend. “I got caught up.”

“With FP?”

Under Maia’s scrutiny, Alice bit her lip and looked away. She hadn’t been exactly forthcoming with Maia about being with him. Since their first kiss, FP and Alice had agreed to keep their distance around Maia and Fred. They didn’t want anyone to know until they were ready.

“Don’t act so guilty. Everybody’s seen you two around the bar.” Maia stared at her, waiting. Alice felt the guilt growing inside of her. She didn’t think Maia would react well, considering her warning to Alice about the Jones family.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just...” Alice sighed. “Didn’t know how you’d take it and honestly, I wasn’t sure how I felt until, well, tonight.”

“What’s done is done.” Maia said, waving it off impatiently. “Now that it’s out though, can you stop sneaking off? I’ve hardly seen you and summer’s almost over. We haven’t even finalized our plans for senior year.” Alice froze at the mention of school. She still hadn’t told Maia about going to Riverdale High. There was never a good time to tell her.

“Let’s not–”

“You never want to talk about school. What’s goin’ on?” Maia demanded. Alice knew this was coming; Maia was an expert at leveraging guilt for information. The same thing had happened when she didn’t tell Maia her parents had shipped her off to Greendale. “Are you dropping out, or...”

“ _No,_ ” she said emphatically. She laid on the bed next to Maia. “I didn’t know how to tell you,” she began. “I actually did well in Greendale. Apparently being denied a social life was all it took for me to focus.”

“And?” Maia said, annoyed.

Alice bit her lip before continuing. “And...it’s stupid. One of my teachers pushed me to test into the advanced English program at Riverdale and...I got in.”

“So...you gonna go there then?” Maia said slowly. “I don’t–”

“Southside High doesn’t have anything like it, and my teacher told my parents if I do this program and do well, I can do a community college for a year before going on to a top university,” Alice said in a rush, not wanting to lose momentum. “So…”

“So...what?”

“I have to at least try, right? I mean I don’t wanna end up here forever.” Alice propped herself up on one elbow and looked at Maia. “Look, I didn’t want our last year to be–”

“It’s fine,” Maia said, a little too quickly. She jumped off the bed and stalked to the dresser, her back to Alice.

“Don’t be–”

“Be angry? That what you were gonna say?” Maia spun around with a stormy look on her face. “How can I not? I’m supposed to be your best friend, right?” She began pacing around the room, gesturing wildly. “ _Right?!_ How should I react? I lost you for a whole year, Alice, and when you said you’re coming back, I couldn’t wait to start the senior year we’d always talked about and now...” Maia trailed off, her anger dissipating as suddenly as it came. “This feels like the end, Alice.”

“Don’t say that. Nothing’ll change.” Alice closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I still live in the southside. You’re still my best friend. One year at Riverdale isn’t gonna change that. I’m not suddenly going to turn into some Stepford-wife-in-training.”

“It isn’t about that!” Maia yelled. A swift pounding came on her door, indicating they needed to keep it down. She took in a deep breath before continuing. “Not having you around this past year was bad. I could barely get you on the phone to talk when things were rough.” Maia fell into a short silence, staring at a spot on the wall above Alice. “What the fuck am I even doing?” She fell back on the bed with a sigh.

“Well, right this moment, yelling at me.” Alice smiled and Maia shot her a look.

“Not gonna be forgiven that easily.”

“I know,” Alice said. “Tell me what’s up.”

Maia sighed heavily and didn’t speak for a moment. She slowly settled back down onto the bed. “I’m scared,” she whispered. “This past year I realized I have no fucking idea what I’m doing. After graduation, what else is there?” She swallowed. “My parents don’t even ask. They don’t think much of me, just like everyone else in this town.”

“That isn–”

“You know what someone said to me once?” Maia asked. Alice shook her head. “They asked me how my kids were. When I said didn’t have any, they looked so surprised. I still remember that, you know?” Maia looked away. “They said it so off-hand, like it was so obvious that I’d amount to nothing but some knocked-up teenager. Like I had no other options.”

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me?” Alice was incredulous. She couldn’t imagine anyone who's met Maia wouldn’t see her potential.  She felt a wave of sadness–both at what she’d heard and that Maia hadn’t even shared this before.

“Well,” she sighed, putting an arm around Maia. She wanted to reassure her, but she didn’t know what to say. “We’ll come up with a plan. You’re too smart and too stubborn to be stuck in a life you don’t want.

“Maybe,” Maia muttered. Silence hung in the air for a moment before she spoke again. She changed the subject. “Look, I _am_ happy for you and FP, but...be careful. You two might think you’ve made it, but I’m telling you...”

“I know,” Alice said softly. She knew Maia was just looking out for her, but FP wasn’t his father.

“Does he know you’re not coming back to school with us?” Maia asked.

“No.” Alice let out heavy sigh. “I don’t know how to tell him. I was going to say something tonight, but it wasn’t right.”

“I’m sure he’ll understand,” Maia said, her eyes closing.

“Yeah,” Alice said, but she wasn’t so sure.

 

**Bonus Scene: On This Fateful Day**

Alice watched as FP paced in his living room. She sat patiently in his father’s chair, wondering what else she could say. She’d finally worked up the courage to tell him she was going Riverdale High. He wasn’t taking the news very well.

“Can you stand still for a second? You’re mak–”

“I don’t get it,” he interrupted, crossing his arms and continuing to pace. “When did this happen? Did you just decide or..?”  Alice stood up, forcing him to stop. Watching him was exhausting her.

“No...I...” She felt trapped. On the one hand, she could lie and say the decision was last minute, but it didn’t feel right and she knew he’d be more angry if he found out she was lying. “I knew when I got back. I just didn’t–”

“ _And you didn’t think to say anything!_ ” he shouted.

“It wasn’t like I’d planned on us being together,” she snapped. Alice couldn’t keep the annoyance out of her voice. She knew FP was going to be upset, but she didn’t expect this. He was acting like it was the end of the world. They were only going to different schools, it wasn’t like she was leaving town again. “Why are you being like this, FP? It’s just not that big a deal.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He tried to look away from her but Alice took a step forward and reached out, forcing him meet her eyes. FP moved away from her, lips set in a hard line. “Maybe we should just end it. Like you said with Fred and Maia, maybe this was just a bit of summer fun.”

“Stop being so dramatic, FP. Neither of us wants that.” She took a deep breath, trying to relax. She didn’t want to fight with him on their final weekend of summer. But when she came closer to kiss him, he turned his cheek to her.

“You sure you gonna wanna be with someone like me once you’re there? I mean, you’ll be with your own kind.”

“What? My own kind?” Alice stared at him incredulously. She had no idea what he was talking about. They grew up together. They were the same kind.

“You’re a Smith, Alice. Everybody here knows about your parents’ past. Royalty falling from grace. They never fit in here, always actin’ like they’re better than everybody else. You’re the same.”

“Oh, come _on_.” Alice was doing her best not to laugh. He was being ridiculous. “I’m not like that.” Alice looked at him, waiting for confirmation. When he didn’t immediately answer, a bemused look spread on her face. “Am I?”

FP let out a heavy sigh. “No...I mean..sometimes. I mean the way you talk, it ain’t like everybody else. And now, you’re talking about going off to college. I just figured after school we’d…” He stopped himself and pushed past her, pulling on his jacket. “I gotta go to the bar.”

‘Wait!” Alice called out as he started towards the door. “Don’t just leave. Finish what you were going to say.”

“Nothing. Don’t forget to lock up.” He walked out the door, not looking back.


	5. Welcome to Riverdale High

“Dad!” Alice called into the house, tapping her foot impatiently and checking her watch. “We’re gonna be late. _ ” _

“Five minutes, honey,” her father’s voice came floating out from somewhere inside.

“That’s all I’m giving you before I take the car and leave you.” Alice slammed the door to their trailer on her way out. When she turned around, she came face-to-face with FP.

He had on his usual flannel shirt and serious expression, undercut slightly by the nervous shifting of his weight from one foot to another. Alice felt a rush of relief to finally see him after their fight. He hadn’t come around since then and she’d been worried he really was determined to break up with her.

“Hey, I just wanted to see you before...” FP cleared his throat, scratching the back of his head. He reached into his pocket and produced a small box. “Anyway, just wanted to give you something so you know how much I…” As if at a loss for words, he trailed off again as she took the gift.

Alice opened it and laughed. She placed the small snake ring on her middle finger before giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, smiling into his eyes. “It’s perfect, thanks. You better go before my d–”

“Forsythe Pendleton,” Mr. Smith said coolly as he came through the door.

“Mr. Smith.” FP backed away from Alice with a smirk. “I’ll see you later at Pop’s.” He joined the crowd of students headed to Southside High. Alice’s dad opened his mouth and she put up her hand to stop him.

“Don’t start. We don’t have time,” she said as she rushed to the car.

\---

Alice ran through the front doors of Riverdale High, down the hall, and burst into the principal’s office breathlessly.

“Hi, I’m–” She stopped mid-sentence as the principal shot her a look, silencing her. He was speaking into the intercom, just finishing up the announcements. His fingers lifted from the button and he motioned for her to sit.

“You’re late,” he said through pursed lips.

“I know, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” Alice shifted in the seat. She’d been here for five minutes and was already in trouble.

“It better not. Anyway.” His face brightened. “Welcome to Riverdale High, Miss Smith. I think you’ll be very happy here.” He opened her file, making a quick note before peering up at her through the top of his glasses. “My secretary will show you to homeroom.” Alice stood up and started towards the door. “And remember, Alice, Riverdale High isn’t Southside High. We won’t tolerate any wayward behavior. Now go be excellent.”

“Thank you?” The words came out as a question, involuntarily.

As Alice entered her homeroom, the entire classroom went silent, staring at her. She walked to the teacher’s desk and handed her a slip of paper. 

“Ahh, yes,” the older woman said, standing from her chair. “Attention, everyone, attention. We have a new student joining us. This is,” she squinted her eyes. “Alice Smith, coming to us from Greendale and Southside Highs. I trust you’ll all give her a very warm welcome.” She motioned for Alice to sit in the empty desk at the back of the room. She could hear her classmates’ whispers as she walked past.

When Alice took her seat, a girl with bright red hair leaned over. “Everyone else is going to be too fake to tell you this, but I thought you should know. This isn’t Seattle,” she said looking Alice up and down. “We do have a  _ certain  _ standard of dress here at Riverdale High and it doesn’t include baggy pants and oversized shirts.” She began to cackle and her friends joined in.  

“Looks like being a bitch is timeless so you’re in luck,” Alice retorted.

The girl’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know why they let a southside slut like you into our school, but it would behoove you to remember your social order. I am Penelope Ambrose, top of the food chain. Do not mess with me.” Penelope glared at Alice until just then, the classroom door opened again and a blonde-haired boy came in. Alice watched as Penelope immediately plastered a smile on her face and attempted to get the attention of the boy, who was making his way to the teacher’s desk. She saw him briefly glance at Penelope and continue to ignore her. Alice smirked.

“Alice,” the teacher called out. She got up and made her way back to the front of the room. “This is Hal Cooper, he’ll be your guide today.”

Alice was confused. “I thought someone named Hermione–”

“She couldn’t make it today,” Hal smiled, a bit dazzlingly. Alice’s eyes lingered on his smile. To her, he looked like he’d stepped straight out of the pages of YM. His blonde hair was perfectly styled and his blue eyes piercing. It gave her goosebumps. “Shall we,” Hal said, motioning to the door.

\--

“I always like to start my tours out with a little history,” he began. Hal started rambling about the background of Riverdale High, when it was built and its significance in the town. Alice did her best to keep up, but she couldn’t help but let her mind wander as she studied Hal.  _ People don’t look like this in real life _ . She turned to study the case of trophies and plaques he was describing, and out of the corner of her eye caught him staring at her. Alice looked back at him and smiled when he averted his eyes. 

“Can you give me a heads-up about my schedule?” Alice pulled her schedule from her binder. “I just want to know what kinda year I’m in for.”

“Sure,” Hal said. He walked a few steps to catch up with her and leaned in, peering over her shoulder to see the list. “Ahh...Kemper for AP Lit. I have him too. He’s pretty–”

“Leering already, Hal?” A red-headed boy was walking towards them. “I suppose this one won’t be the usual challenge, given her obvious breeding. Or lack thereof.”

Hal’s eyes narrowed. Before he could formulate a response, Alice piped up. “I see that they even let animals into this school.”

“Clever,” Cliff responded sardonically as he pushed past them, bumping Alice’s shoulder and knocking her binder from her hand. “I’d watch myself.” He disappeared down a hallway.

Hal crouched down to pick up the binder, gathering the loose papers and handing them back to Alice. “I wouldn’t pay too much attention to Cliff or any other Blossom. They’re all bark and no bite.”

“I’ll remember that.” Her eyes followed Cliff until he disappeared around a corner. 20 minutes in and she already had enemies.  _ I don’t think this is what Weatherbee had in mind when he told me to be excellent.  _ The bell rung, shaking her from her thoughts. She grabbed her binder from Hal and looked for her first period.

“Thanks for the tour. See you later, I guess. Wish me luck.” She made a face at him, joining the crush of students in the hallway.

“Luck,” Hal called back.

\---

“Why’d we still come here?” Maia slid into a booth at Pop’s opposite of FP and Alice. Alice had never been so happy to see her friends.  Not that her day had been particularly bad, aside from Penelope and Cliff–she was just exhausted. It was difficult to be the new kid for the second time in as many years. She couldn’t even play nice long enough to make a friend to sit with at lunch and Fred was nowhere to be found. She ended up just taking her tray to the bathroom.

“It’s an American Institution. Classic.” FP said. Alice was glad the two of them were finally getting along. Maia was hesitant about their relationship at first, but she gave Alice her approval after he spent a night in watching old kung fu movies with them.

Maia rolled her eyes at FP. She studied the menu before ordering a milkshake. “So how’s our golden girl? Was the first day just full of sunshine and light?” Maia teased.

“Hardly,” Alice scoffed. “Everyone there thinks they’re living in Beverly Hills, 90210. The way they dress and speak, it’s like watching TV. Just tryna to keep a low profile and make it through the year.”

“Good.” Maia said, “You did promise me you weren’t gonna become a Stepford Wife-in-training. Gonna hold you to that. I still need my Angry Alice.” she joked.

“Angry Alice?” At that moment, Hal appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. He looked at Alice quizzically for a moment before his eyes narrowed on FP. In return, FP met Hal’s gaze and casually placed his arm around Alice. She glanced over at him in irritation. Before she could introduce Hal, Maia spoke.

“Who’s this?” Maia asked, annoyed at the interruption. She surveyed the newcomer. He had a clean-cut look–perfectly styled blonde hair and a sweater over a button-up with the sleeves rolled up. The guy looked like a Ralph Lauren ad and she knew he was trouble. Someone that clean could not be trusted.

Hal turned on the charm, putting a big smile on his face and offering his hand to Maia. “Hal Cooper. I’m Alice’s student guide.” Maia looked from his hand to Alice. After a few beats, Hal slowly returned his hand to the pocket of his khakis and laughed nervously.

“Just a dumb nickname,” Alice said. “Angry Alice, that is.”

“Well, I’d love to hear how it came to be.” Hal moved to sit down in the booth next to Maia, who was staring at him like he had just sprouted a second head.

“Hal!” Penelope waved him over from the other side of the diner.

“Looks like you’re needed elsewhere,” Maia smirked before turning from him. Hal let out an abrupt laugh and began to leave.

“Another time, Alice,” Hal called as he walked away, joining Penelope’s table.

“So what’s the plan for tonight?” Alice shoved a few of FP’s fries in her mouth, attempting to change the subject. FP removed his arm from her and kept his eyes fixed on Hal. Just like Maia, he felt Hal was not to be trusted.  


	6. Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon

“How exactly are your parents going to react when they find me in here?” FP asked, stroking Alice’s hair as they laid on her bed. It had been a couple weeks since they’d seen each other. They wouldn’t have been together tonight if Alice hadn’t ambushed him at the bar. 

“I don’t think my punishment has been invented yet, but...you’re in luck. Dad’s gone on a business trip and won’t be back until tomorrow.  Mom’s working late as always, so it’s a perfect time to celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” He looked at her blankly.

“Yeah.” Alice glanced over to the clock on her nightstand. “In 45 seconds I’ll officially be 18.”

“Shit,” FP muttered. “Your birthday. I completely forgot.”

“I kind of figured,” Alice said, smiling wryly. “You looked confused when I showed up at the bar. I’m not mad,” she assured him. “But I won’t lie, I’m a bit...disappointed.”

FP shifted himself on top of Alice, leaning down to kiss her. “Let me make it up to you.” He moved his head down and began to trail kisses down her stomach. Alice gently placed her hands on the side of his head and pulled him back up.

“Not that I don’t appreciate the sentiment,” she said, looking into his eyes. “But, I just wanted to spend time with you. Since summer, we haven’t seen much of each other and...” She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to say. True, she expected that they wouldn’t be spending as much time together anymore since they were at different schools. But she was starting to feel like FP was a stranger. The intervals between their meetings were getting longer and longer.

“Summer’s over, Alice.” He shrugged and laid back down. “Isn’t a big deal.”

“FP, don’t just...I just want to know what’s going on. Like, where you’ve been the past couple of weeks? You don’t come by in the morning anymore. I went by your house a few times, but you weren’t there. Saw your mom though. Why didn’t you tell me she was back?”

“Dunno, didn’t seem important..” He sighed and turned to face her, kissing her gently. “Alice, you know how I feel, okay. So don’t get worked up. I’ve just got school, band stuff with Fred, and, you know, other things.”

“Like what things?” she huffed exasperatedly. “FP, why’re you being so cryptic? I just want to know what’s going on with you. So don’t act like I’m being ridiculous.” Alice scowled and turned her back to him. She felt like their relationship was regressing. Every conversation devolved into a fight these days.

“Come on, Alice,” he said softly. “I’m not hiding anything from you. I just...need some time to learn how to be with you and keep up with my responsibilities.”

“Maybe keeping up with me is the problem,” she snapped. She didn’t want them to fight, but she could feel her anger building.

“Don’t even joke about that. You know I lo–” At that moment, a beeping filled the room. Alice watched as FP got out of bed and pulled the pager from his jacket. He looked at the number and quickly began to get dressed.  _ Didn’t realize he was on call now _ , she thought with a sinking feeling in her chest.

“We can talk about this later.” he said. “I want to make it up to you. How about tonight?” Hurriedly, he threw on his coat and kissed her goodbye.

“I can’t. My parents want to treat me to a birthday dinner over at Pop’s. But,” she paused, “you can make it up to me by promising to come to Riverdale’s dance next week.”

“I’ll be there, I promise.” He leaned down to kiss her one more time, his eyes holding her gaze.

“Happy birthday, Alice.” He stood there a moment, still staring at her. “Love you,” he added, before climbing out the window.

“Sure,” she replied to the empty room.

––––

“Alice,” the principal said through pursed lips. “Do you know why I asked you here?” He peered at her over the top of his glasses.

“Umm...no. I can’t read minds,” she said, confused. Alice had been on her best behavior, painfully so. She focused on school and tried to avoid any trouble, including Penelope and her crew. They seemed intent on making her year a living hell. Every day in homeroom was something new. Today she referred to Alice to her friends as a Serpent whore–a slip of the tongue, she’d said innocently. It took every fiber of Alice’s being not to reach over and rip a tuft of red hair from her head, but she couldn’t afford to get kicked out.

“Right,” he said. “You’re doing excellent in all your classes and your good behavior has been...” He drew in deep breath. “Unexpected, considering your history.”  _ Then why did you drag me here? _

As if reading her mind, he continued. “Some of the faculty have noticed you’re not well integrated. Except for occasionally seeing you with Fred Andrews, it seems you have no friends.” The principal closed his file and stood up to come around and sit on the front of his desk. He looked as though he was doing his best impression of a concerned parent. “When we say ‘Be Excellent’ here at Riverdale, we don’t just mean good grades. It’s about the entire experience.”

“Okay.” Alice didn’t quite follow.

“I think you should join some extracurriculars. You know, the River Vixens are still in need. I’m sure Hermione could fit you in.  Additionally, with your knack for English and writing,  _ The Blue and Gold _ could use you on the staff. You’re already familiar with the editor-and-chief Hal Cooper. Maybe talk to him about being a staff writer.”

“I’ll think about, sir,” she said, gathering her bag to go.

“Don’t think about it, Alice. Do it. Don’t let your time here be wasted. You have a real chance at starting something new,” he said with a smile.

Alice muttered under her breath as she left the principal’s office and walked to lunch. She couldn’t believe they were keeping such a close eye on her. It wasn’t like she needed friends here–she had Maia and FP back home. As she turned the corner, she almost crashed into another student.

“Oh, sorry,” she said absentmindedly.

The girl looked Alice in the face briefly. “No problem,” she said. She started to walk off, but turned back. “You’re Alice Smith right?”

“Uhh...do I know you?”

“I’m Hermione, I was supposed to give you a tour on your first day.” She smiled. “I actually just heard from Weatherbee you might be interested in–” Before Hermione could finish Hal interrupted, also on his way to the cafeteria.

“Hermione, Alice,” he said with a smile. He looked at Alice. “How are you getting along here? Not treating you too bad, are we?”

“Fine, I guess.” Alice shrugged.

“Yes,” Hermione interjected. “Alice and I were just discussing the possibility of her joining the River Vixens. The squad could use some fresh blood.”

“Really,” Hal said skeptically. “Are you sure you’re just not looking for someone to side with you in your ongoing war with Penelope? Anyway, she should really join– ” He was cut off by the warning bell.

“I should be going.” Alice started to walk off.

“Wait,” Hal called out. “Maybe I can convince you to join  _ The Blue and Gold _ tonight over a shake at Pop’s. We could really use someone like you.”

“Can’t,” Alice said, walking backwards away from him. “Family dinner...for my birthday....” She trailed off, turning away as she made her way to her next class. She could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks.

–––

“Happy Birthday, honey.” The Smith family sat in a booth at Pop’s. Alice was unwrapping the gift from her parents. 

Alice opened a small box and smiled. “No way.” She couldn’t even contain her excitement. She pulled out a ring of keys.

“Now, it’s nothing fancy,” her dad said. “But we got you a small car so you can come and go as you please. You’re officially a  woman now, so, we have no choice but to trust you.”

“Thanks, Mom and Dad,” Alice beamed. It was moments like this when she really appreciated her family. Not just for the car, but for the evening going so smoothly. No lectures, no outbursts. A perfect dinner.

As Alice sipped her milkshake, she noticed someone approaching their table.

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith, please forgive my interruption,” Hal said, smiling easily. “I just didn’t want to miss this chance to convince Alice to join the  _ Blue and Gold _ .”

“Alice, who is this?” her father asked.

“Hal, Hal Cooper. I go to school with your daughter.” He extended his hand to Mr. Smith.

“Cooper,” Mr. Smith repeated the name as they shook hands. “You know, you look a lot like a fella I knew in high school, JB...”

“He’s my father, sir,” Hal said. At this, Alice’s parents shot each other an excited look. They couldn’t imagine their daughter being associated with a Cooper, a boy from one of Riverdale’s founding families.

“Your father and I were bitter rivals on the field back in my day. Tell me, do you play football like your old man?” Mr. Smith asked.

“No, sir, I don’t. I’ve instead taken on the family business of journalism. Which is why I want to talk to, Alice.” Hal’s parents owned  _ The Register _ .  

“Well, we’ll leave you to it. Alice, the car is parked around the back. We’ll see you at home,” Alice’s dad said as he grabbed his coat. Her parents hugged her goodbye before walking out of Pop’s.

“Alice,” Hal took a seat across from her. “I’ve read your stuff from our writing class. I think you’d be a perfect addition to  _ The Blue and Gold _ .” He waved down a waitress and ordered a coke.

“I don’t–”

“Don’t say no just yet. We have some beats open and I think you’d be really great at it. After getting a few under your belt, maybe you can write a bigger feature. Anything you want.”

Alice thought it over for a moment. Writing was what kept her sane and it might be nice to do it for the paper. Having a few published pieces could go a long way in helping her get into school, too. She figured there was no harm, especially if it was going to get Weatherbee off her back. “Alright,” she said. “Maybe one piece.”

“Great, he said, smiling again. “Before I forget,” he produced a wrapped box, “Happy birthday.” He held it out to her.

Alice looked bemusedly between the box and Hal, before taking it and slowly opening it. Inside were a pair of diamond earrings. “Hal, I can’t...I can’t accept these.” She closed the box and pushed them back.

“Alice, I saw them and thought of you. Please, it’s nothing. You’re 18 now.” He reached across the table and gently tapped her earring. “Don’t you think it is time to give up your hoops?”

Alice sighed and bit her lip. “Maybe,” she said quietly. “Thanks, Hal.”

\---

Outside, FP watched Hal and Alice through the window. He had planned to surprise her at the end of her dinner, but it looked like he arrived too late. His mouth set in a scowl as he turned away, dropping a wrapped gift into the dumpster as he walked past.

“Guess I only have one thing going for me now,” he muttered to himself as he got into his car.


	7. Waiting in Vain

“Welcome to  _ The Blue and Gold _ ,” Hal said to Alice as he walked her around the office. The room was frantic, filled with the sound of typing and printers going and students yelling for photos and editors. “It’s deadline today so the room is a bit chaotic. For the paper, you can write for any section. News, features, entertainment, and literature, a new section we started this year. We have a lot of future creative writing majors on staff so they wanted a section to build up their portfolios.”

“Hal,” someone called out from the back corner. “We need approval on this.”

“Have a look around. I thought you could use that desk over there.” Hal pointed to a seat by the window as he hurried off. Alice tossed her bag down and sat in the chair in front of the electric typewriter. She slowly ran her fingers over each key. At that moment, she felt in over her head. What had she agreed to?

“Alice,” a voice came from behind her. Alice turned to see a diminutive blonde girl looking back at her. The girl adjusted her glasses, notebook in her hands. “Hi, I’m Darcy. Hal asked me to help you get started.” Her voice was quiet, but Alice had the feeling that even if the girl had tried to speak louder she wouldn’t be physically capable of it.

“Alright,” she responded cautiously. She’d figured a staff writer position didn’t take that much explaining.

“I oversee reporters at the newspaper. He sent me some of your stuff and I think covering the news beat would be perfect for you.”

“Okay,” Alice nodded.

Darcy took a seat in front her and began to explain the position. “It’s pretty basic. Covering school clubs and anything noteworthy happening in the school or in Riverdale. Like,” Darcy dropped her volume. “Have you been keeping up with the stuff with the Serpents?”

Alice choked at the last suggestion. “What stuff?” she tried to ask as innocently as possible.

“So,” Darcy began eagerly, “apparently they found parts of this guy floating in Sweetwater River earlier this week. The rumor is he was connected to that guy from the summer who was found dead in his apartment. What was his name...?” She trailed off in thought. “Uh...Hal,” she called out as loud as her mousey voice would allow and waved a hand in his direction. He sauntered over.

“Yes?”

“What was that guy’s name? You know the one they found dead this summer? The one your parents said is related to the guy whose parts they found floating in the river earlier this week?”

“Oh, uhhh.” Hal’s face scrunched up for a moment. “James...James Summers. Why?”

“No reason, I was just telling Alice about it. Might be a good news piece for her to cover, especially since it surrounds the Serpents. She’s from the southside after all.”

“Darcy, just, shut up.” Hal sighed. “She’s not writing that.” Darcy shrugged and walked off.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” she called back to Alice. Hal shook his head and gave Alice a sympathetic look.

“Sorry about that. We’re not going to use your...neighborhood to try and sell papers. I imagine you don’t want people prying into that.”

“I mean…” Alice hesitated. She wasn’t exactly sure what Hal was trying to say. “I’m not ashamed of where I’m from, if that’s what you mean.”

“No, of course not… I didn’t mean to suggest–”

“It’s alright,” Alice said with a smile. She didn’t really want to continue the conversation any further. An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Hal spoke.

“So, Alice,” he shifted uncomfortably. “I know this is a bit last minute and I hope I’m not being too forward, but…I was hoping you might...” He cleared his throat. “You might accompany me to the dance tomorrow?”

“Oh,” Alice was taken by surprise, although she really shouldn’t have been. Since her birthday, he had been paying particularly close attention–showing up at her locker and inviting her to sit with him at lunch. She’d guessed his intentions, but she hadn’t really discouraged him despite having FP. “I’m...well, my boyfriend is actually coming with me. The one you met at Pop’s.”

“Right,” Hal said with a dejected look.

“Sorry.” Alice grabbed her bag to leave, giving Hal a weak smile.

\--

Alice made her way through the double doors of the gym, wearing a fitted red dress. She could help but grin as she saw the decorations lining the walls. It wasn’t that she hadn’t been to a formal dance before–the years her mother forced her into etiquette classes took care of that–but they didn’t have anything like this at Southside High. Sure they had dances, but they were more–well, less formal.

She heard a whistle behind her. “Alice, you look…I’ve never seen you any anything besides flannel.” She turned around to see Fred behind her smiling. Her warm feelings faded and she gave him a playful punch to the arm. “Just being honest,” he said as Hermione joined him.

“Fred. Hello, Alice.” she said.  Alice didn’t know her very well, despite them being in class together and their meeting in the hallway. She seemed to only hang around other Vixens. “Shall we?” She took Fred’s arm and started to pull him into the gym.

“Wait,” Alice called out before they walked away. “Have you heard from FP? He promised he would come tonight.”

“Oh, no. I mean. I haven’t seen him since, well...your birthday.” Fred said. “How did you like the gift?”

“Gift...gift? He didn’t–”

“Yeah,” Fred continued. “He said he was going to surprise you at Pop’s.” Hermione grew impatient and started to tug at Fred’s arm, mouthing  _ let’s go _ . “Sorry.” He shrugged before disappearing into the crowd.

Alice looked around for FP one more time before grabbing herself some punch. She sipped it slowly as she took a seat by the wall.

 

\---

“Alright everyone,” the DJ called out over the speakers. “Time for the last dance.” Couples began to pair up on the dance floor while Alice was still in the same position she’d been in since the beginning. It had been two hours, and FP was nowhere to be seen. Anger and hurt spread through her. She couldn’t believe he stood her up.

As she picked up her bag to go, Hal approached. “Alice,” he said softly. She turned to look at him, eyes giving him the once-over. “Where are you going?”

She took in a deep breath. “Uh, home.” She started to make her way to the door. That had been enough humiliation for one evening.

“Not without a dance,” he said, gently grabbing her arm. “Come on. You’ve been sitting here all night. At least enjoy one dance with me.” Hal didn’t really wait to hear her response, taking her hand and guiding her out to the dance floor. He placed her arms around his neck before settling his hands on her waist.

As Alice looked into his eyes, she couldn’t help but smile. She knew she should feel guilty, but FP hadn’t shown up. As their bodies moved together, Alice felt lost in the moment. Everything seemed to melt away. She let her mind wander to what it would be like if things were less complicated. If she could just easily fit in at Riverdale High and had a guy like Hal by her side.

“I’m supposed to be here,” a familiar voice boomed from the entrance, shaking Alice from her thoughts. She looked to the door to see FP struggling against a couple of guys from the football team, who were holding him back. Before she could move, Alice saw Fred rush to the entrance, grabbing FP and pulling him out the door.

“I’ve got to–” Alice didn’t bother to finish her sentence as she rushed away from Hal and headed outside. When she arrived, Fred and FP were in an argument. Well, FP was yelling while Fred was trying to calm him down and convince him to go home. She took a step closer to them and could smell the alcohol coming off of FP. It was a moment before either boy noticed her.

“You’re late,” she said in a hard voice. FP pushed Fred off of him and straightened his jacket, brushing past his friend to come face-to-face with Alice.

“Better late than never right?” His words were slurred as he reached out a hand to caress her face. Alice batted it away.

‘What are you doing here? Where have you been?” She did her best to keep her voice restrained, but she was growing angrier by the second.

“You invited me,” FP said, turning away from her. “Or was that a mistake?”

Although his statement seemed innocuous, it sent Alice over the edge into pure rage. She couldn’t contain it anymore. “ _ Yes _ ,” she yelled. “I invited you to show up on time and, you know, fucking sober!” She took a step closer and shoved him.

Fred put an arm around Alice’s waist. “Alice...don’t.”

“Oh, fuck off, Fred.” She pushed him away and stalked closer to FP. “I will not repeat myself,” she said coldly. “What is...this?” She motioned up and down at FP. “I haven’t seen you in over a week. You don’t call. You don’t come by. For fuck’s sake, FP. And then you show up here drunk to...” She placed her hands on her temples and sighed.

“To what? Finish what you were gonna say.” FP steadied himself, eyes narrowing. “Embarrass you? S’that what I’m doing?”

“Yes, asshole!” Alice screamed. “That’s exactly what you’re doing.  _ Christ _ . Was it too much to ask for you to come here so we could have just one normal evening? One night where you’re not running off for mysterious errands and pages? One evening where we actually...talk to each other?”

FP scoffed. “Talk? That what you wanna to do, Alice?” He laughed for a moment before getting close to her face and whispering. “You wanna to tell me what the fuck you were doing with that preppy motherfucker on the night of your birthday? Thought you had to do dinner with your parents. That’s what you fucking told me.”

Alice took a step back as though she had been struck. Her eyes never left FP’s. “Is that what this is about? Hal? It was nothing, he–”

“It wasn’t nothing!” he bellowed. “I fuckin’ saw you! I saw the gift he gave you. Saw you take it.”

Alice took a step closer to him and leaned forward, whispering harshly into his ear. “At least he remembered my birthday.” She knew she was pushing too far, but it felt good to release her anger, to strike where it’d hurt.

FP went silent for a moment. Alice studied him, bracing herself for his response. She’d done her best not to stay calm, but it was time for FP to realize he couldn’t just brush her off. She’d done everything she could since the summer to support him and he continued to ditch her. He even forgot her birthday. “It’s over,” he said flatly. He looked at the ground as he began to back up.

Alice was shocked. She hadn’t expected him to just end it, but the furious part of her felt strangely satisfied.  _ If that’s what he wants.  _ “Fine.” Alice’s voice went up a register as she reached down and pulled the ring he had gotten her off her finger. “Here,” she threw it at him, watching as it landed at his feet. Alice turned on her heels and walked away, tears slowly making their way down her face.

Silently, FP bent down to pick up and pocket the ring. He stood there for a moment, taking a deep breath. “Let me drive you home,” Fred said finally. He’d almost forgotten his friend was there. With a curt nod, he followed Fred to the parking lot.

Alice stood at the bottom of the stairs to Riverdale High, tears blurring her vision. She couldn’t go back in there. She was already embarrassed having spent the evening waiting for someone who’d showed up at the last minute and caused a drunken scene. As if in a daze, Alice began to wander the grounds of the school. Eventually she settled on a bench in the garden. She sighed and looked up at the sky.

Goosebumps started to form on her arms. She hadn’t realized how chilly it had become or how long she had been sitting on that bench. If you asked her, she’d have said it’d been hours. She heard the shuffle of footsteps behind her and she tensed.

“There you are,” Hal’s soft voice broke the silence. “You’ve got to be freezing.” He took off his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. Alice didn’t respond, but nevertheless he took a seat next to her on the bench. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he also knew he couldn’t just leave her out here. The school had cleared out almost half an hour ago. “Earth to Alice,” he said jokingly.

Alice’s face turned slowly to him. She wondered how long he’d been sitting next to her. “Hal, hi.” She attempted to wipe the tears from her face.

“I know I shouldn’t pry, but...what happened?”

Alice straightened up and tried to remove any air of sadness. “It’s over. FP and I are,” she swallowed hard. “Done.” She gave a half-hearted smile.

“I’m–”

Alice held her hand up. “Don’t. Please. Say anything but that. I can’t take other people’s–” Before she could finish her sentence Hal leaned in and kissed her.

“I could sit here and pretend I was sorry, Alice, but...I’m not.” Hal smiled nervously. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since I gave you the tour of Riverdale.”

Alice wasn’t sure if her feelings were genuine or if she just wanted to feel something other than the despair in the pit of her stomach, but she smiled and took Hal’s face in her hands, pressing her lips against his. It was, after all, nice to be wanted.


	8. Winds of Change

“We should get inside,” Alice said, but not making any move to do so. She leaned against the hood of her car, arms wrapped around Hal’s neck. 

“Are you sure?” he asked between kisses. “Can’t we just stay like this a little longer?”

“We said today would be the day. So let’s go.” She smiled before dropping her arms to her side. It had been a few weeks since she and Hal had started dating, but this was going to be their first public appearance at school. Considering everything that had happened at the dance, they had wanted to keep it a secret. Well, it was more at Hal’s urging, but Alice couldn’t really disagree with him. Especially with Fred around.

“I just want to keep you to myself a little longer,” he lowered his head to kiss her again, but she turned her cheek to him, giving him a look. “Alright,” he said, resigned, and grabbed her hand. “Into the belly of the beast.” Together they walked toward the entrance.

Butterflies erupted in Alice’s stomach as she and Hal walked hand-in-hand down the hallway to her homeroom. She could feel her cheeks flush as each student they passed stared and whispered. The short walk seemed to last an eternity. Hal leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek and a grin. “See you later,” he said as he walked off to join his friends, who gave Alice sidelong glances. At her own classroom, her rosy feelings abruptly dissipated when someone pushed past her, knocking her into the door frame. Penelope. Rolling her eyes, Alice followed the other students inside.

As Alice took her usual seat next to Penelope, she heard the other girl whispering to her friends. Not even bothering to keep it down, Alice noticed.

“Isn’t  _ this _ an interesting development?” Penelope was saying. “Who knew the heir of one of Riverdale’s founding families would settle for some southside trash. I mean, she must have given it up really very easily to get him interested so quickly.”

Alice leaned over and opened her mouth to say something, but was abruptly silenced as the morning announcements began.

\---

“Hal Cooper? C’mon, Alice.” Fred leaned on the locker next to her’s while she packed up. She really wasn’t in the mood to be lectured by him, but he didn’t seem to be leaving anytime soon. “I didn’t think it was that serious when I asked Maia about it a coupla weeks ago. She had no idea what I was talking about.”

Alice slammed her locker shut in frustration. “You told  _ Maia _ ? What the fuck, Fred? How did you even–” Alice started to feel anxious. She hadn’t been able to spend much time with Maia, and the time they did have together she didn’t want to waste by complaining about FP.

“You two weren’t as secretive as you thought. Saw him drop you off a few nights after the dance. Couldn’t even wait, could you? Did you even try to talk to FP after what happened?” Fred crossed his arms and gave Alice a hard look, doing his best impression of a tough guy. Alice would have laughed if she wasn’t so furious with him.

“This isn’t even any of your business, Fred. It’s not like I’m the one that broke up with him. So you might want to talk to your boy about that instead of standing here lecturing  _ me _ .” Zipping up her bag angrily, she started to walk away. She needed to finish up her edits for her news piece this week. Fred grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Fred said quietly. “You know FP, he’s impulsive, dramatic, especially when something bad happens. His mom had just packed up again and–”

“Bad shit happens to everyone,” she said coolly. “Doesn’t give him a pass to be an asshole. Look I gotta–”

“Alice,” Fred pleaded. “It was the first time I’d ever heard him talk about the future. Start planning his life instead of letting it happen to him. Enough time has passed. Just talk to him, okay?” Alice looked at Fred for a moment before walking away. As much as she cared for FP, it wasn’t her responsibility to help him get his life on track. She had no interest in being his salvation. That was too much to ask.

\---

“Alice!” Darcy called out as Alice entered the offices of  _ The Blue and Gold _ . She tossed her backpack down and joined her.  “I’ve got edits to your story. Let’s get this done so we can get it out for tomorrow.”

Alice took a seat  and began furiously typing as Darcy dictated the edits. Alice had been picking up a few small news stories here and there to get used to the process of writing for the paper. It wasn’t anything exciting, Academic Quiz Team making it to nationals and the like.

“Have you thought more about what I said?” Darcy asked when she finished.

“I’d rather not...” Alice said, glancing at her askance.

“Look, I know Hal is against it, but that kind of story… It’s the big leagues.” Darcy pulled up a seat next to her. Alice knew it could be a strong portfolio piece, one that leads to internships at larger papers, but she wanted to stay as far away from the Serpents as possible. She’d left that life behind and she wanted to keep it that way.

“You know I’m no–”

“Hey, star reporter,” Hal interrupted them, smiling broadly at Alice. “How’s the piece coming?”

“Just finished. Your girl’s a natural.” Darcy stood up and started to leave, looking back at Alice for a second. “Just think about it, Alice.” She walked off.

Alice didn’t have time to dwell on the story before Hal asked, “What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Uhh...I was supposed to see Maia. Why?”

“Can you move it?” He took a seat next to her. “My parents are anxious to meet you and want you to come to dinner tomorrow.”

“Parents?” Alice was surprised, she didn’t think things were this serious yet. She didn’t plan to formally introduce Hal to her parents, well, ever.

“I know. I know. It seems sudden,” he said, as if reading her mind. “But, well, they know I really like you and my mom isn’t a patient woman.” He took her hand and gazed into her eyes. “Just say you’ll come. I promise it’ll be painless.”

“Alright,” she responded softly. It didn’t really feel like she had a choice in the matter.

“Great,” he smiled again before dropping her hand and standing up. “Also, my parents are a bit, well, formal. Might be best to wear something more…you know?” He gestured vaguely at her clothes. “Anyway, deadline calls. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Waving cheerfully, he rushed off.

_ More what? _ She looked down at her outfit, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

\---

Alice used her free hand to smooth over her skirt. Hal’s comment about her clothes yesterday had struck a nerve and she’d spent every waking moment since planning the perfect outfit. Her mother even stepped in to offer advice and some of her vintage clothing from her high school years. Mr. and Mrs. Smith couldn’t believe their daughter was going to spend the evening with JB and Elizabeth Cooper, the it couple of their day. While Alice and Hal’s parents had run in the same social circles growing up, the Coopers were on another level. They were living legends.

Smile plastered on her face, Alice knocked on the door. Butterflies erupted in her stomach while she waited. Who knew what the evening had in store.

After a minute, a middle-aged blonde woman opened the door. “You must be Alice,” she said, smiling. “I’m Hal’s mother, Elizabeth. It is such a joy to meet you.” She opened the door wider, inviting Alice in.

As Alice stepped across the threshold, she handed Mrs. Cooper the flowers her mother helped her pick out especially for this occasion. “These are for you,” she said, trying to smile as elegantly as Hal’s mother. She was suddenly grateful for all of those etiquette lessons forced upon her as a child. It was almost like a final exam, this evening. “Thanks for having me to your home.”

“How lovely,” Mrs. Cooper exclaimed. “Please come through.” Alice followed behind her, taking in the sight of the Cooper’s home. It was huge. She did her best not to gawk as she entered the kitchen, which seemed to be the size of her family’s entire trailer. “JB, look at these.” Mrs. Cooper held out the flowers to show her husband, who was standing at the kitchen counter.

“Lovely,” he said, turning to Alice and smiling. “I’m JB, Hal’s father.”

“Very nice to meet you, Mr. Cooper.” Her face started to ache from all the smiling. Alice couldn’t remember the last time she had been this nervous.

“JB, please. What have you got there?” He motioned to a bag in Alice’s hand.

“Oh, I completely forgot.” Blushing, Alice handed the bag to Mr. Cooper.  “My father wanted me to bring this to you. He said you might enjoy it.”

“Ah, yes, Hal told me your father was Edwin Smith. We were rival football captains in high school.” JB took the bag from Alice and opened in carefully, pulling out a frame, then let out a great laugh. “Oh my, what a funny man your father is.” He turned the frame around. “It’s the news article from the first time in years Greendale beat Riverdale during the cross-town rivalry. Your father was captain that year at Greendale, you know.” He chuckled and placed the framed article on a nearby buffet.

“Sorry I’m late.” Hal entered the kitchen and greeted Alice with a kiss on the cheek.

“Not at all,” Mr. Cooper said. “Your girl was just impressing us with her generosity. Shall we sit down to dinner?” Mr. Cooper walked to the head of the table to pull the chair out for Mrs. Cooper. Hal followed suit, pulling out Alice’s chair for her.

\---

“So Hal tells us you grew up on the southside?” Mrs. Cooper said as she took a bite.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ve lived there my entire life, except last year when I spent some time in Greendale with my aunt.” The butterflies in her stomach were getting worse.  _ Everything is going fine _ , she tried to reassure herself.

“What is it like down there? Especially with all this Serpent business?” Alice choked on her food, quickly grabbing her water and taking a sip to stop her cough.

“You know,” Alice said carefully. “I don’t really know much about it. They keep to their part of town mostly.”

“Interesting,” Mrs. Cooper said slowly, curiosity in her eyes. “And you don’t know anyone in the–”

“Elizabeth,” Mr. Cooper interrupted sternly. “We’re not interrogating our guest as though she’s a source for one of our stories.”

“Right,” Mrs. Cooper smiled. “Old habits,” she said with a laugh. Alice gave her a smile in return. Silence hung in the air for a moment before Mrs. Cooper spoke up. “Anyone for a little peach pie? JB, do you mind?”

“Of course not, dear. Hal, why don’t you give me a hand.” Mr. Cooper and Hal left the table, clearing the plates.

“Forgive me,” Mrs. Cooper said when they were alone. “I was so excited to meet you and I’ve just ruined it.” She made an exaggerated face and her gaze settled on Alice, who couldn’t figure out if she was being genuine in her disappointment. As Mrs. Cooper’s eyes lingered, Alice began to shift uncomfortably. It was like being a bug under a microscope.

“No apology needed, Mrs. Cooper.” The plastered smile returned to Alice’s face. They were already at dessert and she just wanted to make it to the finish line. “I’ve had a lovely time this evening. Everything was delicious.”

“I’m so glad.” Mrs. Cooper took a sip of her wine before reaching over to Alice, gently lifting a lock of her hair. Her eyes narrowed as she inspected the brown strands. “What are you doing tomorrow, dear?” Before Alice could answer, she spoke again. “It’s just that I was going to the spa tomorrow morning and I think it would be an excellent time for us to get to know each other, away from the watchful eyes of Hal and JB. Oh, please say you’ll come with me? I was supposed to go with a friend, but she cancelled.”

“Mrs. Cooper, that is extremely thoughtful of you, but I can’t poss–”

“Oh please, Alice! Say you’ll come as a way for me to make it up to you for my uncouth behavior this evening.” Alice sensed Mrs. Cooper wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Her date with Maia had been moved to tomorrow evening, so she figured there was no harm in going. Entertaining Mrs. Cooper would help her remain in Hal’s parents’ good graces. Alice’s mother did say the Coopers could open up doors and she wanted nothing more than to live up to her own parents’ hopes for her.

“Alright,” Alice relented.

“Perfect.”

\--

Alice took a deep breath, pushing open the spa door. The remainder of the dinner last night hadn’t gone much better and she really didn’t want to spend any more time with Mrs. Cooper, but she was trapped. She’d already agreed to come.  _ You’re doing this for Hal.  _ Lavender overwhelmed Alice as she entered the spa in search of Mrs. Cooper.

“Alice, over here, dear,” she heard Mrs. Cooper call. “This is the girl I was telling you about.” Mrs. Cooper was speaking with an older woman dressed in black as Alice approached. “Alice, this is Mrs. Steinberg, the owner.”

“Nice to meet you,” Alice greeted her.

“You’re right, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Steinberg said as she walked around Alice, surveying her. “You’re a very beautiful girl, Alice. But it’s hidden under–well, forgive me–this mess of hair. We can fix that though.”

“Excuse me?” Alice asked. She thought the day was just going to a brief manicure with Hal’s mother. She hadn’t agreed to anything more. Had she? “I don’t think–”

“Alice,” Mrs. Cooper said soothingly. “Now that you and Hal are an item, isn’t it time you’ve refined your look a bit? Not that your style doesn’t have a certain, well...” Mrs. Cooper paused, pursing her lips, “...flair. You’re a young woman now, isn’t it time to start looking the part? This is Riverdale after all, and Hal is a Cooper.”

Anger flooded through Alice.  _ Refined? What the hell is that supposed to mean?  _ Her eyes narrowed at Mrs. Cooper. She was not going to let someone, least of all Hal’s stuck-up mother, tell her she wasn’t worthy of him. Their relationship was none of her business. She took a deep breath, buying time to calm herself down. Although her blood was boiling, she wasn’t about to yell at Mrs. Cooper in the middle of a salon.

“Mrs. Cooper,” Alice kept her voice as steady as possible. “I believe Hal likes me for, well, me.  _ Flair _ and all.” She couldn’t believe they were even having this conversation.  Mrs. Cooper was definitely overstepping.  _ How did she even produce a son like Hal? He’d never say this to me.  _ Though as she thought about it, she wasn’t sure if she believed it, remembering Hal’s comment about her clothing before the dinner.  _ Did he say something? _

“I’m sure he does, darling,” Mrs. Cooper guided Alice to a salon chair. “But don’t you want him to remain respectable? Wouldn’t you like to shed the reputation of being a southside girl? It’s just going to be a cut and color, Alice. If you don’t like it, dye it back and grow it out. No harm done.”

Alice looked in the mirror, scowl reflecting back at her. Every fiber in her being was telling her to  run, but her mind was full of doubts.  _ Maybe Hal did say something? Maybe he asked her to help me.  _ The more she thought about it, the more she started to believe it. Perhaps this was the only way to keep Hal interested and make sure his parents continued to like her.  _ It  _ is _ just a cut and color…  _ Resigned to her fate, Alice remained silent as the stylist snapped a salon bib around her neck, watching as brown locks began to fall at her feet.

\--

Alice rushed into Pop’s. Before she even reached Maia’s table she was apologizing. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she kept repeating as she sat down. Maia was finishing off her french fries. She didn’t look up when Alice sat down.

“I know, I’m late,” Alice said, out of breath. “Hal’s mom, who is insane by the way, forced me to go shopping after the salon and...shit, I know, no excuses. I am the worst friend and I’m so sorry.” She sighed and waited silently for Maia to respond.

Finally, Maia raised her eyes to look at Alice. Her face contorted, a look of confusion mixed with shock. Her eyes darted from Alice’s blonde hair, to her clothes, back to her hair. “Wha–” Alice was sitting across from her, not dressed in usual baggy jeans and t-shirt. Instead she was sporting a high waisted skirt and soft pink cardigan. Maia had never seen Alice in pink her entire life.

“I know. It’s different but…” she trailed off, unsure of what to say. Alice couldn’t believe she’d even gotten herself into this situation.

Maia remained silent as she stood up from her seat, pulling on her jacket. The bell rang as she opened the door to leave. “This is too weird.”

“Wait!” Alice followed her. “I thought w–”

“I haven’t seen you for weeks and you’re an hour late, Alice.” Maia turned to look at her. “I’m done. You’re distracted and busy all the damn time. I mean, I had to hear about your break up with FP from some girls at school. Only reason I knew you were with that Ken-doll monster is because I ran into Fred.”

“I know, I haven–”

“I’m not finished,” Maia said sharply. “It isn’t like this is sudden. We’ve been drifting apart since the summer. I thought there was some hope you might make time for me after FP, but...seems like you’re more interested in being a part of that 90210 school. I mean, look at yourself, Alice.”

“Is wanting to fit in such a bad thing?” Alice crossed her arms.

“Guess not,” Maia shrugged. “You’re the perfect girl next door now. No trace of southside slut remains. But I miss my best friend. She always made time for me and didn’t give a shit what anyone else thought of her. Now you’re…” She waved a hand in Alice’s general direction. “I don’t even know this girl.” With that, Maia turned and walked out the door.

“Look. I said I was sorry!” Alice ran outside, calling after her. She watched as Maia disappeared into the night. “Maia?” she called again. There was no reply.


	9. Same Old Mistakes

“Oh,  _ Alice _ ,” Hal called out, collapsing on top of her. Alice stared up at the ceiling while Hal rolled over to lay beside her. She took a deep breath and attempted to clear her mind and focus on Hal. The fight with Maia had preoccupied her thoughts ever since it happened. There wasn’t space for anything else.

Turning to face him, she rested her head on his shoulder, snaking an arm around his waist. “Hal,” she whispered. The only response she received was Hal’s soft snoring. She sighed, and tried, unsuccessfully, to make herself comfortable. Hal wasn’t really one for conversation and her loneliness was beginning to creep up again. Since Maia wouldn’t accept her apology, and FP was out of the picture, she didn’t have anyone else. Even her parents were too busy to listen.

Alice did her best to clear her mind and push down her feelings, trying to let his breathing soothe her. In the end, it only made her more anxious. She had to get a moment to herself.

“Hal,” Alice whispered his name again and lightly shook him to see if he would wake up. When he began to turn on his side, snoring, she got out of bed. Pulling on her boots and jacket, she slipped out her window. Outside, the evening was colder than she’d anticipated. Walking a few paces from the house, she pulled out a cigarette, casting a quick, furtive glance back at her room. She had tried to curb her habit, but it was the only thing that could help her think when she was nervous.

Pacing in the moonlight and fingers combing through her hair, she took a long drag on her cigarette. Alice didn’t want to admit it, but she was beginning to be consumed by stress. Dating Hal, writing for the paper, keeping up the facade of being happy–it was getting to her. She could feel herself unraveling every time her parents asked about her life. It didn’t matter if it was about school or Hal, the questions filled her with anxiety. How was she ever going to live up to what they wanted?

As she finished up her cigarette, she heard heavy footsteps behind her. She started to blab out an apology even as she turned around.

“Sorr–! Oh, hi.” FP was standing in front of her. She stared, slightly dumbfounded. Crushing what remained of her cigarette under her heel, she pulled out a fresh one and lit it. “You want one?” She waved the box at FP. He shook his head. Alice felt incredibly aware that this was the first time they had seen each other since their breakup. “No, right. Uhh...how are you?”

FP stood there, regarding her for a moment. “Fine,” he said quietly. “You look good, Alice. Though, don’t you think it’s a bit cold for that outfit?”

Alice let out a nervous laugh and absently tugged on the bottom of the oversized shirt she had on, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how she must look–no pants and hair a mess. “Maybe a bit.” She took another drag on her cigarette, fidgeting.

“You don’t have to be so nervous. I’m not gonna...” He sighed and took a step closer to lightly touch her hair. With their faces inches apart, Alice’s heart began to pound and she closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the familiar scent of him. “Anyway, you look really good. The blonde suits you, but...brown is nice too.”  Alice could feel his breath caress her lips as he spoke. His hand hovered over her cheek for a moment before dropping to his side. He looked back into Alice’s window, where Hal’s sleeping form was visible. “See you, Alice.” FP turned and walked towards his home.

“Bye,” Alice said, barely audible.

\---

Hal turned off the ignition and Alice unbuckled her seatbelt. “Are we sure about this?” she asked hesitantly. “No one’s seen us yet. We can still escape, you know.”

“It’ll be fine, Alice.” He leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, encouraging look on his face. “It’s just a party.”

Alice and Hal pushed their way through the entrance of Penelope’s house. There were people everywhere. She leaned over to Hal to say something when Penelope appeared, yelling over the music.

“Hal and Alice, so glad you could make it.” She smiled sweetly while her two ladies in waiting stood behind her. Alice wasn’t sure what Penelope was up to, but she had promised Hal earlier that she would try to be nice. There were too many witnesses for either of them to get away with anything anyway.

“Thanks for inviting us.” Alice did her best to seem excited, but in truth, she longed for a quiet night in. Since dating Hal, almost every waking moment was filled with some sort of obligation, whether it was attending a party his parents were throwing or making social calls to the children of the local elite. 

“Oh, any  _ friend _ of Hal’s is a friend of mine.” Reflexively, Alice’s face morphed into a scowl at the emphasis in the greeting. Penelope snaked her arm around Hal’s and started to lead him away. “Hal, we were  _ just _ hoping you’d come and settle a debate for us…” Her voice faded as they disappeared into crowd, leaving Alice alone.

_ Well, that was fast. _ Alice mouth twisted wryly as she turned to the other two girls. “Is there beer here or something? I mean, this is a party right?” Instead of answering, they simply looked at each other blankly and walked away. “Thanks,” Alice called after them, and began pushing her way towards the back door. The cool air outside was a welcome relief as she searched around for something to drink.

Through the crowd, she could spot a keg in the corner of the yard.  _ Thank god. _ She made her way over, passing dozens of her classmates. All of whom smiled at her, but none stopped to talk. She hoped that Penelope would let Hal go soon so she wasn’t alone for too long. Maybe she could check if Fred was here. As she began to fill her cup, a hand grabbed her shoulder.

Alice turned, coming face-to-face with Cliff. She let out a soft groan.  _ Shit _ . “What do you want?” she demanded. He always seemed to be lurking around at the worst of times. 

“Lovely to see you too...Alice, is it?” He took a step closer. “You know, I didn’t give you credit before. Since your little,” he reached out to touch her hair, but Alice took a step back. “Transformation.” He smiled and Alice was positive that under any light, that smile would not be welcoming. “You’ve really seemed to, well, blossom.”

Alice wasn’t sure where this was going, but she really wasn’t interested in finding out. Under normal circumstances, she would would hit first and ask questions later, but she didn’t want to cause a scene. Not when she was here with Hal. “Look, Cliff, I doubt Hal woul–”

“Hal is responsible for my sudden interest.” He closed the distance between the two of them once more. “See, I wondered why a son of Riverdale would invest any time in a girl like you. I mean, it isn’t as though you’re the cream of the crop, are you? And then, I did some digging. I didn’t know you were one of the Greendale Smiths. Not a founding family, but legends in their own right.”

As Cliff continued to speak, she shifted uneasily, looking around for a way to escape without causing a scene. No one else nearby seemed to notice her discomfort, too busy dancing, making out, and throwing back drinks. Alice placed her cup down on the table and reached into her jacket for her knife. Clutching it in her hand, she began to push past him. “You know, I think I better go and find–”

In one swift movement, Cliff grabbed her and pressed her to him. His hands began to slowly move down her body as he said lowly, “I think our families could be very powerful together.” When he began to kiss her, Alice’s instincts kicked in. With all of her strength she pushed Cliff off of her, sending him crashing into a nearby table. Everyone turned, a few girls screamed. Without hesitation, she pulled out her knife and kneeled over him, the blade inches from his face.

“If you ever try to touch me again,” Alice spat out, “I swear to god I will fucking kill you.” She locked eyes with him for a few seconds, before flicking her knife closed, hopping up, and walking away. The crowd parted as she passed.

She made her way back to the house, taking deep breaths to try to calm her nerves. When she crossed the threshold, Hal appeared, grabbing her and pushing her into the bathroom. His face was contorted and red with anger.

“What  _ the fuck _ was that Alice?!” Hal screamed at her. “ We’ve been here for 30 minutes! Could you not even  _ pretend _ to keep it together?”

“But Hal, he wa–”

“I don’t care what he was doing,” Hal said, his voice hard. “You can _ not _ turn into some sort of violent gangster at the slightest provocation. Do you know how this reflects on me?”

Alice looked at him incredulously. “How it reflects on  _ you _ ? Is that how this fucking works?” Her anger dissipated as quickly as it had come. She was too tired to fight.  “So I guess in the future I should just let anyone do whatever they want to me, lest it reflect poorly on Riverdale’s golden boy.” She reached for the door to leave. “Fuck that. I’m outta here.”

“Don’t you dare leave while I’m speaking to you. Alice, if you–” She didn’t hear the rest of what he said; she was already out the door and heading down the dimly lit street, the noise of the party receding behind her.


	10. The River’s Edge

Alice had been walking for a couple of miles by the time she arrived at Pop’s. Opening the door, she looked at the clock to see it was almost midnight.

“What can I get you?” The waitress gave Alice the once-over as she waited for her to respond. Alice pulled out her wallet and looked inside, sighing at its contents.

“I’ll just have a coffee,” she said and the woman shuffled off. Once she was alone again, Alice closed her eyes, rubbing her temples. She stayed that way until the coffee was placed in front of her. Taking a sip, she was grateful for the warmth it provided. There was still a ways to go before she was home and she wasn’t sure if she could walk any longer. It was getting colder by the minute and she didn’t have enough money for a cab. She also wasn’t sure if she was really ready to go home–the night’s events kept playing in a sickening loop inside her head. Staying at Pop’s until the sun came up seemed like a better idea. She could deal with the consequences of the evening come morning. Sometimes, things didn’t seem so bad in the light of day. She hoped this would be one of those times.

The bell rang as another customer entered Pop’s. Muffled voices and the  _ cha-ching _ of the register gave way to heavy footsteps approaching Alice.

“Hey.” A familiar voice shook Alice from her thoughts. “You alright?”

“Hi,” she smiled at FP weakly. It wasn’t an unwelcome distraction, though she felt a little suspicious that he seemed to be popping up a lot lately. “Yeah, just really needed a cup of coffee, you know?”

“Right,” he said slowly. An awkward silence hung in the air between them. Neither of them sure of what to say. Alice desperately wanted to tell someone about what happened with Cliff and how Hal reacted, to find someone who would understand. If only she and FP’s relationship wasn’t so complicated. She knew he’d understand why she had to defend herself.

FP broke first. “Can I give you a ride home?” His eyes were soft, full of concern.

“No. I think I just want to...well, honestly, I dunno…” She rubbed a hand across her face tiredly. “I’m just not ready to go home yet.”

“Alright.” His brow furrowed. “Well, I got more food than I can eat and I’m too wired to sleep. Why don’t we have a little midnight picnic by the river?”

“I don’t really k–”

“Alice, I’m not gonna to leave you here,” he said flatly. “I want to make sure you get home alright.”

“So, I don’t really have a choice then?”

FP spoke carefully. “You always have a choice, Alice. You don’t have to leave Pop’s, but you’re stuck with me for company. You took care of me once, just returning the favor.”

Alice weighed her options. Despite the cold, the night was clear. It could be fun to eat in the moonlight and look up at the stars.  _ Might help me think. _ She stood up, throwing her last couple dollars down on the table.

“Alright, let’s go.”

\----

“You and Maia were monsters,” FP howled as he and Alice laid on a blanket at the edge of Sweetwater River, both of them too full to move. Alice was recounting the story of when she and Maia had ambushed a group of neighborhood boys when they were young, scaring them so badly that the boys had run home crying, covered in chicken blood. 

“We were not,” she responded indignantly with a smile, propping herself up on an elbow. “We just wanted them to know who the real kings of the neighborhood were.”

“And you never back down from a challenge, perceived or otherwise.” His shoulders shook as he continued to laugh. “How old were you guys?”

“11 or 12. Can’t remember. All I remember is in that moment I knew we were simpatico. We were thick as thieves from then on.” The smile left Alice’s face. It had been so long since she’d thought about Maia. The pain of missing her was so great she hadn’t let herself dwell on it since their fight. She could already feel the tears beginning to well in her eyes.

“So,” FP asked cautiously. “I heard you two weren’t friends anymore. I couldn’t believe it. What happened?” 

“I did,” she said quietly, a single tear running down her cheek. “I wasn’t good to her. I ditched her in the summer and blew her off when I started going to Riverdale. She was as patient as she could be with me and I just…”Alice swallowed hard, hoping to bury her sadness along with it.

“I know it ain’t any of my business, but just talk to her.” FP turned on his side to look at her. “I know she’s gotta miss you. I did.” Alice hadn’t expected him to be so kind to her. The guilt began to well up in her stomach. Why hadn’t she taken Fred’s advice and just talked to FP? She didn’t know why she had been so quick to let him go. Even at his most distant, FP always supported her. He never tried to change her and he always took her side, especially when it came to standing up for herself. Not like Hal.

“You sure you’re not cold?” Alice wanted to change the subject. No need to dampen the evening with talk of broken friendships. She was snuggled warmly beneath his leather jacket and the extra blankets they found in the truck.  When she offered to share earlier, he’d refused, but the night was getting colder.

“I’m fine.” She could see he was lying from the way his teeth chattered slightly, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. They laid in silence for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes. Alice thought he looked softer in the moonlight, like the boy she’d fallen for all those months ago. She leaned into to kiss him, but he pulled back.

“Alice,” he started. “I didn’t...didn’t...” He fumbled for the right words. “I don’t want you to think I invited you out just to...”

“I know,” Alice shushed him. “We were just having such a nice time and, well, I’ve missed you too.” Slightly flustered by her own admission, she smiled at him before lying back down to look at the sky, attempting to distract herself from the awkward moment. She heard FP sigh.

“Alice,” FP whispered.

“Yeah?” She turned to look at him.

“I lied,” he said with a little smile. “I am a bit cold.” He moved closer to her, so they were both under the blanket, silently looking at the stars. Alice moved to rest her head on his chest and felt relieved when he placed an arm around her. The sound of his heart soothed her and it felt like old times, all those quiet nights they would spend together in his bed before he started running off. Before he became cryptic and constantly on call for the Serpents. In this moment, she desperately wished she could go back, before their fight, before she kissed Hal on that bench. She wished she hadn’t let her anger get the best of her.

What she wanted was wrong and she knew it, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was how much she wanted to let FP know she still cared for him. She slowly moved to unzip his jeans and take him into her hand.

“We shouldn’t,” he breathed. “It’s wrong–”

“When has that ever stopped you?” Alice kissed his neck, slowly moving down his body.

“But–” His protest ceased when warmth of her mouth closed around him. Alice watched his breath in the cool air becoming shorter and faster. She could feel his muscles begin to tighten as his moans became louder, became curses. It wasn’t enough, she wanted more, she wanted to be as close to him as she was before. Alice lifted her head and climbed on top of him. Leaning down, she stared into his deep eyes for a moment before kissing him, both of them panting.

“I need you,” she whispered, reaching down to guide him between her legs. Then she hovered there, waiting for him to move, the anticipating setting her body on fire. As much as she wanted him, needed him, Alice wanted him to make the final choice.

“Are...are you sure?” Alice kissed him again and nodded. Reaching under her dress, FP pushed aside the flimsy barrier of her underwear. Alice bit her lip when he finally, finally thrust into her. Everything became a blur as they began to move together.

“I still love you,” FP said, breathlessly.

In that moment, everything from the previous months came rushing through her– the loneliness, the guilt, and the shame of what happened tonight.

“I love you too,”  Alice gasped, and it sounded a lot like the truth.


	11. Gimme A Little Sign

Alice slid into her desk in homeroom just as the bell was ringing. She had waited until the last minute to get to school so she could avoid Hal. She wasn’t ready to speak to him. Not only did she feel guilty about what happened with FP, but she was also still angry. He hadn’t even listened to what happened between her and Cliff. It was odd to her that Hal had even sided with Cliff considering their distaste for each other. Once, Hal had told her they were only friendly because social circumstance dictated it.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Penelope begin to lean over to her desk. Alice briefly closed her eyes with a sigh. “Whatever you’re thinking about saying–don’t. It isn’t going to be as clever or witty as you think, so just fuck off.”

Penelope let out an exaggerated gasp. “Well!” she exclaimed dramatically. “I suppose I should just be grateful that you didn’t decide to slice me up with that knife of yours.” She and her ladies-in-waiting cackled just as the morning announcements started. Alice was never so happy to hear Weatherbee’s voice.

“...And remember,” Weatherbee intoned. “The petitions for homecoming court start next week. You must have your petition completed by the end of this month for first round voting to...” Alice stopped listening, her eyes were focused on the clock’s second hand making its way painfully slowly around the face.  _ When will this day be over? _

\---

The final bell rang and Alice made her way to  _ The Blue and Gold _ offices. The only snag in her plan to avoid Hal was having to get her edits from Darcy, though Alice was feeling more confident in her writing and hoped there wouldn’t be too much to rework. She was just grabbing a seat as Darcy walked through the door and, spotting her, made a beeline for Alice.

“We’ll keep this brief,” Darcy said as she began to rattle off the changes to the story. Alice didn’t stop to ask any questions, just typed as fast as she could to keep up. As she finished, Darcy gave it a quick scan. “Getting better and better, Smith.” She adjusted her glasses and motioned for Alice to leave.

Alice mouthed a thank you, grabbed her bag, and hurried out the door. Looking both ways down the hallway, she checked to see if the coast was clear before walking out the entrance of the school to the parking lot. She thought she was home free until she heard someone call her name.

“Alice,” Hal called out, walking up the steps in front of her. She was trapped. She couldn’t walk past him and going back into the school felt too childish. Alice braced herself and began to mentally prepare excuses. “Considering the short time you’ve been here, you really know how to avoid someone.” He smiled.

“Look, I really–”

“We need to talk,” he interjected. “Where did you go? I called you all weekend and even came by. Your mom was so angry with me. She seems to think I left you stranded?”

“Right...” Alice said slowly. After spending the night with FP, Alice had to give her parents a reason why she was gone all evening. Since she didn’t have too many friends at Riverdale, she told them that she and Hal got into a fight and that he’d left her at the party, meaning she had to spend the night at Pop’s until it was safe enough to walk home. “Does it matter? Hal, I’m still mad.”

“I know, but–”

“But what, Hal? You told me I embarrassed you. Me, your girlfriend. You called me a gangster and didn’t even listen to what happened.” Alice could feel the anger rising to her face. Never had she felt so humiliated, so ashamed. It especially hurt coming from someone she thought cared about her.

“Please. I didn’t mean to say…” he trailed off. “I don’t know the right answer here, Alice. I just want to apologize. That’s all I want to do.”

Alice took in a sharp breath. She felt a pang of guilt for what she was saying, considering what happened later that night, but she also couldn’t deny how she felt. “Well, I don’t accept it, Hal. I thought you genuinely cared about me, but ever since we’ve been together all you’ve done is try to get me to hide who I am.”

“Alice, I never–”

“Never what? I mean come on, Hal. You don’t like it when I talk about growing up in the southside, you never ask me what I like or want to do. And look at me!” Alice gestured to her hair. “Christ, Maia was right, I’ve been transformed into a Stepford wife-in-training.”

“That was all my mother,” Hal said, exasperated. “I didn’t ask her to and you went along with it. Nobody forced you.”

“Because I thought it was the only way to…” She didn’t want to admit she thought it was the only way he was going to stay with her. When did she become so wrapped up in what everyone else thought? “Look, I have to go.” Not waiting to hear his response, she took the steps two at a time and practically fled to her car.

\---

Chatter of what happened at Penelope’s party had finally died down, but Alice didn’t feel like everything had gone back to normal. She was still keeping to herself and trying to avoid Hal, who kept trying to corner her to talk. For the past few days she’d lived her life in a boring loop–home to school to home, without fail. Her parents were happy to see so much of her and thought she was re-committing to her studies when she told them to tell anyone who called or came by–including FP–she wasn’t home.

He had come around a couple mornings before school, but she’d just brushed him off and told him she was running late. She couldn’t make sense of what had happened with him that night, or understand why her anger at him had turned back into tenderness. Being with him at the river had reminded her how easily she and FP fit together. He just understood her. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt that way with Hal.

As Alice walked down the hallway to her locker, she felt a sense of unease. Students were looking at her and whispering. Self-consciously she began to run her hands over her clothes, in case she had toilet paper stuck to her skirt or something. 

Shrugging, she opened her locker, and a copy of  _ The Blue and Gold _ fell out, with an insert entitled  _ To Alice _ . She picked up the paper and began to read. It was a letter from Hal, apologizing to her for everyone’s eyes to see. She could feel the blush on her cheeks as she kept reading. He didn’t just apologize for what he said at the party, but for making her feel like she wasn’t enough. He asked for a second chance. Finally finishing the letter, she looked up. Other students were grinning at her knowingly. At that moment, Hal came down the hallway and stopped at her locker. He smiled and she returned it, tentatively.

“I didn’t know how else to get your attention,” he said, shrugging.

“Well,” she started to speak, but couldn’t help but notice they were on display. “Maybe we should talk in private?” He nodded and they walked outside, finding the bench where they first kissed. It seemed like ages ago now.

“Before you say anything,” Hal began. “I was an idiot and you were right. The things I said were awful. Alice, I never meant for you to think you weren’t good enough to be with me. Not that you–”

She interrupted him with a kiss. “Thank you,” she said quietly, despite feeling a little embarrassed that the entire school was privy to their relationship now. “You’re not completely forgiven, but I appreciate what you wrote and...I don’t want this to be the end of us.” The words came out before she could really stop herself. She wasn’t sure if she was swept up in his grand gesture or if those were her true feelings, but it didn’t matter. It was out there now.

“Me neither,” he said, brushing his fingers through her golden hair.

“Okay.” Alice stood up, taking his hand. “Then you can start by coming to dinner tonight. I’ll clear up that misunderstanding with my parents. ” Hal nodded, seeming relieved, and gave her a quick kiss.

\----

Hal and Alice walked hand-in-hand up the stairs to her home. As she pushed open the door,  she heard someone say her name. Recognizing the voice, she turned to look at Hal. “Give me a minute, I’ll see you inside.” Hal looked behind her to see FP. His eyes never leaving the other boy, he made a show of kissing her before walking through the door. 

“Umm...FP. Hey.” She didn’t know what to say.

“So that’s it then? You’re back with him?” FP’s voice remained steady.

Alice looked back to make sure the door was closed before walking down the stairs. “I mean, we never actually broke up.”

“So the night at the river was what?”

She was silent for a moment, searching for the right words. “It shouldn’t have happened. I was just....Hal and I had a fight and then you came along and…” She gestured helplessly with her hands. “We were having such a good time and I’d been feeling so lonely and...I don’t know. Got caught in the moment?”

“Mistake is simpler to say,” FP retorted.

“Don’t say that.” She took a step closer to him. “FP, I know it wasn’t right, but I couldn’t help it. I mean, I still care–”

“Don’t,” he interrupted. “I’m not here for you to toy with. To be someone you run to when things go bad with Ken-doll in there, only to be ditched the moment you guys make up.”

“FP, plea–”

He took a step back, his eyes holding hers, his voice low and calm. “Just stay the fuck away from me, Alice.”


	12. One Question

It had been over a month since Penelope’s party and Alice was settling into her routine with school, the paper, and Hal. All the students shuffled into the gym for another pep rally for the bulldogs. Alice tried to sneak into  _ The Blue and Gold _ offices, where she normally spends pep rallies, but a teacher saw her and she was reluctantly marched to the auditorium to join the festivities. They were announcing homecoming court today and Alice really didn’t want to have to pretend to be excited for Penelope’s nomination.

She sat on the bleachers with her arms crossed as all the usual activities began–a dance from the River Vixens and a few rousing words from the coach about the game. Weatherbee took to the stage.

“Now it is time to announce the nominations for Riverdale’s homecoming court. You can vote for the king and queen in the coming weeks. Please stand when you hear your name.” He lowered his glasses as he looked at the clipboard. “Up for king we have Hal Cooper.”  Alice cheered before Weatherbee continued to read the remaining names.

The nominations for queen were all the expected players. Penelope feigned surprise when her name was called and Hermione seemed uninterested.

“And we have one more,” Weatherbee called out. “Alice Smith.”

“What?” The word slipped from Alice’s mouth involuntarily, frozen for a moment in shock. Suddenly a million questions began rushing through her head and making her dizzy. She hadn’t petitioned to be on the court. And yet they’d called her name and the whole school was clapping. Alice rose to her feet in a daze, but something was wrong. The edges of her vision blurred, the noise of the auditorium becoming a tinny static in her ears. Then, the world went dark.

\---

 

She was lying on a hospital bed while her mom sat next to her. 

“I’m fine, Mom, really. I’m sorry you had to leave work.” Alice sat up and removed the compress they’d put on her head. “I just felt a bit dizzy, is all.”

“Alice,” her mother said sternly. “You fainted. Now come on, lay back down. The doctor will be here soon.” As if on cue, at that moment the doctor walked through the door and picked up Alice’s chart, reading it over. A flicker of something appeared on her face, but disappeared quickly. The doctor looked up, about to speak, but stopped when she saw Alice’s mother.

“Mrs. Smith, could you go grab Alice a sports drink from the vending machine, please? Based on her chart, she’s dehydrated.” She gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s best she have something immediately.” Alice’s mother nodded, gave Alice’s hand a reassuring squeeze, and left the room.

When they were alone, the doctor began to speak again. “Alice, the tests came back and you’re perfectly healthy, but,” she paused slightly, “you’re pregnant. At the moment we’re guessing about 6 weeks along, but we’ll know for sure when you come back for an ultrasound next week.”

“Wait. What?” Alice felt dumbstruck, her mouth hanging open slightly. Whatever she was expecting the doctor to say, this was not it.

“You’re pregnant, Alice,” the doctor repeated. She placed a reassuring hand on her back before speaking again. “I know this is all overwhelming, but I need you to know there are options. Remember that. You don’t have to decide what you’re going to do right now, but you do eventually need to make a plan.” The doctor grabbed a few pamphlets and handed them to her. “Read through a few of these and we can talk about it when you’re back next week.” With a reassuring smile, the doctor left the room, leaving Alice alone with a handful of pamphlets and the beginnings of a massive headache. Without looking at them, she shoved the papers into her backpack.

In the car, Alice’s mom pressed her about what the doctor said. She did her best to be as evasive as possible, saying that they weren’t sure and that she needed to come back for a follow-up, hoping this would at least explain her return to the hospital next week. When they got home, her mom insisted Alice rest for the evening, fussing over her and bringing her dinner in bed.

Later, she waited until she was positive her parents were asleep, put on her coat, and snuck out of her window.

\---

Maia heard a frantic knocking and turned a light on to see Alice peering in through her window.

“What is it?” she grumbled, walking over and cracking the window with annoyed look. Alice knew running to Maia was was selfish, after how she’d treated her, but she had no one else to turn to.

Swallowing her guilt, she said, “Maia, I know I’m the last person you want to see, but...”

“Exactly,” Maia said shortly, and began pulling the window closed again. Alice’s hand reached up to stop her.

“Maia, please, I need...” Alice couldn’t finish her sentence before she began to cry. She knew she didn’t deserve Maia’s friendship right now, but she felt so incredibly alone. “Please, I need help and you’re the only person I can...I can...”

After a moment, Maia sighed and grabbed a sweatshirt. She came out of the window and joined Alice, guiding her away from the trailer. “So, what happened? Something with your parents? Something with Hal?” They settled on an old swingset in the adjacent park, Maia rocking back and forth waiting for Alice to answer. Being here like this with her best friend, talking softly in the dark, made Alice suddenly nostalgic for childhood–when it was just the two of them and life was simple, no life-shattering decisions looming before her.

“No,” Alice said quietly. “I’m pregnant.”

“Ahh...” Maia let out a long sigh. “I could’ve guessed it would be this. You rarely react to anything that isn’t catastrophic,” she joked, trying to lift the mood. Instead, Alice began to cry again, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably. Maia reached out to comfort her. “Hey, it’s alright. I mean, you have Hal, right? That’s something. What’d he say to the news?”

Alice took in a deep breath. She didn’t even know where to begin. “Here’s the thing...the baby might not be his.” In a rush, she told Maia the entire story, from what happened at Penelope’s party, her night with FP, to her reconciliation with Hal despite her unresolved feelings for FP.

“Damn, Alice. I leave you alone for just a few months.” Maia said lightly, trying again to lift her spirits. Alice didn’t respond, still staring at the ground. “Look, first you have to decide what you want to do. You have choices. You don’t have to have this baby, Alice. Even if you do, you don’t have to keep it.”

“I know, but,” she swallowed. “I think I want to. Is that weird? I know I’m young, but...maybe this could be good for me, you know? A chance at a new start. Besides, I can’t imagine having a kid out in the world and not knowing where they are. Sure, my family isn’t in the best situation, but with some help, it could be okay.” She hadn’t actually thought any of this through, and the words coming out of her mouth were surprising, even to herself. “It’s just, right now...how do I tell FP and Hal? I don’t know if I can face it. Last time I saw FP, he told me to stay away from him. And Hal…” She didn’t even want to think about what he might do if he knew she’d slept with FP that night.

Maia considered this for a minute, becoming still on the swing next to Alice. “This might sound bad, but do you have to tell them?” She let the question hang in the air for a moment. “I don’t mean you should keep it a secret, but why tell both of them? I feel like it comes down to one question.”

“And what’s that?”

Maia turned to her, her familiar face serious in the dim light. “Who do you want to be the father?”

They sat in silence while Alice mulled over Maia’s words, not knowing how to respond. Could she really just choose a father? “I don’t think that’s how it works, Maia,” she said, wiping her wet face with a sleeve.

“Why not? Who cares which guy actually got you pregnant? If you wanna keep the baby and start a family, then you have to choose the guy you see that family with. If it’s right, he’ll want the same and love you regardless.” Maia stood up from the swing and hunched over, inspecting the ground around them for a few minutes.

“What are you doing?” Alice watched as her friend picked up something shiny and smiled triumphantly.

“Since you can’t or won’t choose–let’s let the universe decide.” Opening her hand, she revealed a dirty old quarter. “Heads, you tell Hal. Tails, FP.” Maia perched the quarter on her fingers, ready to toss.

“That’s insane. You can’t make a–” Her heart stopped as the coin went into the air. Maia caught it one-handed and clapped her other hand on top of it. She looked up at Alice, who nodded in response to the silent question.

Lifting her hand to peek, Maia revealed the results. “Heads. Hal.” She tossed the coin back into the grass and resumed her seat on the swing.

A soft  _ oh _ escaped Alice’s lips before she could stop it. “I guess...it’s Hal then.” Alice began to rock back and forth on the swing, thinking about the weight of the decision. Could she really base her life on a coin toss? Did she really think Hal loved her enough to start a family with her?

“I lied.” Maia’s interjection cut through Alice’s racing thoughts.

“Huh?” She looked over at her friend, who had a mischievous grin on her face.

“It wasn’t even a quarter. But I gave you a decision and you’re clearly having feelings about it. You don’t have to tell me, but your reaction to Hal being the father is all you needed.” In the darkness, Alice saw Maia’s eyes grow solemn. “Go with your gut. You already know what you have to do, Alice.”

  
  


**Bonus Scene:  Something’s On My Mind**

Alice knocked softly on FP’s door. She had respected his request and done her best to keep her distance in the past several weeks, so she wasn’t actually sure he was going to be at home. She raised her hand to knock again when FP opened the door. Alice froze, staring at him, not sure what to say.

“What do you want?” His voice was rough and tired. FP leaned on the door frame, eyes fixed on Alice in an unreadable gaze. When she didn’t immediately answer, he took a step back and started to close the door.

“Please,” she said softly, putting her hand out to keep the it open. “I know you told me to stay away from you, but I really need to talk to you. It’s important. Can I come in?”

“Did something happen with Hal? Are you looking for anot–”

“It isn’t about Hal,” she said, shaking her head insistently. “Come on, FP.”

“Alright,” he said, glancing behind him into the house. “I’ll come out. Let me put some clothes on.” FP closed the door, and after a minute he emerged and joined Alice outside.

“So?” he asked impatiently.

“How are you?” Alice didn’t think she could just jump right in. Hell, she didn’t even know how she was going to tell him. It wasn’t just that she was pregnant, but she wanted the two, well three, of them to be a family together.

“Look,” he sighed. “Just come out with it. I don’t really wanna do small talk.” He folded his arms across his chest. Alice wasn’t exactly surprised at the chilly reception–when she called him, she’d just been happy that he agreed to see her.

“Right.” Alice hesitated for a moment before producing an envelope from her jacket pocket. “I don’t actually know how to say this so…just see for yourself.” She handed the envelope with the ultrasound to FP. He took it and opened it, brow furrowing in confusion.

“What is…” He stopped mid-sentence as he held the image up to the moonlight. “Fuck,” he breathed. “Is...are we…?”

“I know.” Alice let out a nervous laugh. “I’m about 8 weeks along, the doctor said everything looks good, and...” Once she began, she couldn’t seem to stop rambling. She carried on on about everything from the size of the baby to her doctor’s recommendations for prenatal care. Eventually Alice ran out of breath and trailed off. After what felt like an eternity of silence, during which FP stared at the ultrasound the entire time, Alice spoke again. “Say something.”

She watched him carefully, a mix of emotions playing across his face, wishing he would tell her what he was thinking. The uncertainty was unbearable. She needed to know if there was even a slight chance he might want to have a family with her.

“I mean...” he finally said.  “Are you sure it’s mine?” He handed the ultrasound back to her.

Alice flinched. She tried to keep her voice calm, not wanting to show that his words had rattled her. “Would I be here if I wasn’t?” It’s true, she was with Hal when this happened, and his question, as much as it stung, was reasonable. But she’d thought...well, she didn’t know what she thought would happen.

“I don’t know, Alice. You’ve done a lot of surprising things in the past.”

“I know I have, but you can’t keep punishing me for it.” She felt her hackles and her voice starting to rise. “You were the one who left me first, FP! I didn’t want that, but you made it fucking impossible to be together. You shut me out and you forgot about me.” Alice was beginning to regret her decision to come here in the first place. This conversation clearly wasn’t going to be the fairy tale ending she’d hoped for.

“What’s your plan here, Alice?” His volume had risen to match hers. “Did you imagine that everything would be forgiven? That I would just forget everything that’s happened and come crawling back to you just because you’re pregnant?”

Alice’s eyes stung, and despite her best efforts, a single tear slid down her cheek. “No...I just thought–”

“Have you come to tell me you’re gonna to leave Hal so we can be a famil–”

“Plato?” A dark-haired girl leaned out from the window of FP’s trailer and called out, interrupting him. She was wearing one of FP’s shirts and Alice didn’t recognize her. He looked back at her for a moment with a smile.

“I’ll be back in a minute, Gladys.” Gladys responded with a sleepy  _ okay _ before retreating back inside and closing the window.

Alice’s entire body felt frozen in stone.

“Look, I’ve moved on, Alice,” FP said, backing away from her towards his home. “I’m sorry for your troubles but...I’ve gotta go.” And with that he stepped back inside and closed the door behind him, leaving Alice alone.

\----

FP slipped back into bed, doing his best not to wake Gladys. He was still rattled by the ultrasound. There was no way he was having a child with Alice. It all seemed too impossible.

“What was that about?” Gladys said sleepily, turning towards him. FP didn’t even know what he would begin to tell Gladys. They’d only started dating and this would for sure put a stop to anything. The risk didn’t seem worth it, not while he was unsure whether the baby was his. But,  if the baby was his, what did that mean? Was he really going to go back to her?

“Nothing,” he sighed and hoped she wouldn’t press it. His mind was swimming with questions, too full to come up with an excuse. He just needed time to think.

“Look, I ain’t stupid. I know who Alice is. I know all about you two.” He looked at her, mouth slightly open. When he began to stammer, she stopped him. “I ain’t worried about it. You can have your secrets. But if she wants you back, don’t be an idiot. She did a real number on you. I saw you try to drink and fuck her away. Not that I’m complaining–we had a hell of a time.” She huffed a wry chuckle. “But you were a fucking mess, and we both know it.”

“I know,” he said softly. He looked deep into her big eyes, fighting the urge to stroke her face. Gladys wasn’t one for too much tenderness. They laid in silence, staring at each other for a moment before Gladys made a silly face and they both laughed, breaking the tension.

“Night, Plato.” She turned back on her side to sleep. He mouthed  _ goodnight _ and continued watching her for a moment before turning his eyes to the ceiling.

As angry as he was with Alice, he couldn’t stop the warmth that was spreading through him.  _ A baby? _ It was a chance to start over. A chance for him to finally build the family he so desperately wanted. He would be nothing like his father, he would be there for his kid. Never abandon them. Never disappoint them.

Even as he began to fantasize about this hypothetical life, he couldn’t help but wonder. Was that really a life he wanted to build with Alice Smith?


	13. Homecoming

Alice set her lunch tray down next to Hal at their usual spot. It was a couple days before the homecoming dance and everyone at the table was making final arrangements, but Alice was still preoccupied with what had happened with FP. She also didn’t know how to move forward with the baby. Considering FP’s reaction, she wasn’t sure anymore if she should tell Hal. 

“What do you think, Alice?” Hal’s voice shook her from her thoughts.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. “Can you say that again?” Alice wasn’t sure how she’d even been roped into this conversation. She wasn’t even on the homecoming committee, but Hal had insisted she help them plan.

“What’s with you lately?” he said, voice tinged with impatience. “We were just discussing what song we should have Fred’s band play when the King and Queen have their dance.”

“Wait, The Fred Heads are playing?” Alice was taken back.

“Yeah, where have you been? We booked them last week,” another girl at the table chimed in. Just then, the bell rung and the group stood up, gathering their things. Alice was just about to leave when Hal caught up with her.

“Alice, what’s going on? You’ve been distracted these past couple of weeks.” His voice was softer than before, concerned. “You didn’t even make deadline this week and that never happens. Is something up? Do you want to talk?”

“It’s nothing. Really.” Alice smiled, she hoped reassuringly. She wasn’t ready to tell him, not yet.

“Alice–”

“I’ll see you later, Hal.” She gave him a quick kiss and started for the door. “I can’t wait for Saturday.”

\---

FP stood outside of Riverdale High, helping Fred unload their equipment for the dance. His eyes kept scanning the parking lot, looking for Alice.

“A little help here,” Fred grunted as he struggled with an amp. FP quickly took it from his arms and carefully placed it on the cart. Fred smoothed his hands over his suit. “We have to be careful. Looking sharp is the main attraction.”

“Well, it ain’t the music.” FP laughed and turned back to the parking lot.

“Who are you looking for?” Fred asked as he pulled the last pieces out of the van. “I figured your girl wouldn’t be here tonight anyway. How is Gladys?”

“Oh, uhh...fine, I guess.” He shrugged. “We’re on a bit of a break.” 

“Wait, why? I thought you really liked her. Is this abo–” Fred noticed FP wasn’t even listening to him. He followed his friend’s line of sight to see Alice and Hal arriving at the dance. “Come on man. Alice again? She...”

FP tuned Fred out. He was focused on figuring out a way to get Alice alone. So many thoughts had been running through his head since she came by and he needed to talk to her. He needed to know why she even came by. What her plan was. What had she wanted?

“Hey, FP, man. We’ve got to get setup,” Fred called to him, shaking FP from his thoughts. The two boys pushed their cart into the gym and began to prepare for the dance.

\----

“I’m going to get some punch,” Alice yelled over the music. She left Hal on the dance floor and made her way over to the refreshments table. Despite her bad mood earlier in the week, her spirits had lifted after dancing for the past couple of hours. Just for tonight, she didn’t feel the weight of the world and, most of all, she didn’t have to think about the future or the baby. As she poured herself a drink, she noticed a familiar figure approaching.

“Hey, Alice, can–” Before FP could finish his sentence, Hal appeared at her side and angled his body so he was between them. He placed his arm around her and turned to FP.

“You guys are doing a great job,” Hal said with a smile. “PJ, was it?” FP was about to respond when Weatherbee came onto the mic with a screech of feedback.

“Attention, please, everyone. The time has come to announce our king and queen for homecoming. If all our hopefuls could come to the stage.”

“That’s our cue. Come on, sweetie.” Hal took her by the hand and they as they made their way toward the stage, Alice carefully avoided looking at FP’s face. After a moment, FP trailed after them, joining the band to prepare to play a song for the king and queen’s dance. All the students gathered around the stage and awaited the announcement excitedly chattering to each other, before falling silent as Weatherbee took an envelope out.

“For king–” Weatherbee opened an envelope. “It should come as no surprise that it is Hal Cooper.” All the students clapped and cheered as Hal came forward on the stage to be crowned. With a jaunty salute and grin at Alice, he stepped aside. Awaiting the announcement for Queen.

“And for queen...” This time when Weatherbee looked down at the paper, he raised his eyebrows slightly. Glancing next to her, Alice could see Penelope looking smug, straightening her dress and smoothing her long red curls in anticipation. “Alice Smith.”

As Alice walked forward to be crowned amidst applause, she glanced back at Penelope, who was staring at her agape, fury mounting behind her eyes. Ears buzzing and slightly stunned, Alice joined hands with Hal. “And now for their dance,” Weatherbee declared, signaling the band to start.

Hal and Alice walked hand-in-hand down the stairs to the middle of the dance floor as the crowd parted and the Fred Heads played. Alice placed her hands around Hal’s neck and he pulled her close, smiling as they swayed to the music.

“How did I get so lucky?” Hal whispered in her ear as the song ended and the rest of the school joined them on the floor. He looked into her eyes and kissed her.

Alice just smiled and continued to dance, resting her cheek against Hal’s. She couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment.  _ Maybe this is how things were meant to end up _ . “Hey,” she said softly. “Can we go somewhere?” Hal nodded and Alice took him by the hand, leading him from the gym.

\----

FP’s eyes followed Alice and Hal as they left the dance. He couldn’t let her leave before talking to her. Not before he told her everything he’d been carefully composing in his head these past few days—how sorry he was about his behavior, how much he still wanted her, even after everything. How much he wanted the baby. Their baby. 

He unslung his guitar from shoulder, and, muttering a short excuse to Fred, jumped off the stage to follow them. As he walked out the doors of the gym, he could hear their raised voices down the corridor. He peeked around the corner to see Hal and Alice arguing.

“Hal, don’t you want t—” Alice was saying, a pleading note in her voice.

“No!” Hal gestured agitatedly. “We’re too young for this. I mean, look at you. Do you really think you’re ready to be a mother?”

“We’ll figure it out, Hal.” She took a step closer to him. “Please, think about this.”

“Alice...” He sighed, taking her face in his hands. “I care about you, I do, but we’re not ready. You’re not ready.”

Alice looked deep into Hal’s eyes, searching. She’d been so caught up in the fantasy of starting a family with someone she loved, she’d never even considered neither FP nor Hal would want that. Hal’s words rang in her head.  _ Maybe I’m not ready.  _ “Perhaps you’re right.” She sighed.

“I am,” he whispered, kissing her. “This’ll be for the best, I promise. I’ll make an appointment with a doctor tomorrow. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for everything.” He leaned into kiss her again, but Alice took a step back.

“No, no, no,” Alice said shaking her head, her fists balling. “I’m not getting rid of this baby, Hal. How could you even—”

“Alice, you don’t have to let this determine the rest of your life. Think about it. You can take care of your mistake and then we can be together. Finish our senior year together,” he said softly, taking her hand. A horrified look came over Alice’s face as she summoned all of her strength, snatching her hand away and shoving Hal into the wall.

“ _ No! _ ” she screamed before turning and running towards the school entrance. FP followed after her, breezing past a stunned Hal. When he got outside, Alice was nowhere to be seen.

\---

When Alice entered her home, it was dark except for a light coming from her room. She walked through the bedroom door to see her mom, sitting on her bed, staring at the wall. At the sight of her, Alice began to cry softly. Her mother turned to her with a sympathetic look and patted the spot beside her. Alice sat down and laid her head in her mom’s lap.

“Oh Mom,” she said between sobs. “What am I going to do?” Mrs. Smith stroked her daughter’s hair.

“Tell me what happened.”

“I’m having a baby!” she blurted out, unable to keep her secret any longer.

“Oh, honey,” her mom sighed. “I know.” Mrs. Smith leaned over and pulled the ultrasound from Alice’s nightstand drawer. “I saw it the other day when I was putting some of your things away.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I figured you’d tell me when you were ready,” she said. “So...what do you want to do?” Alice sat up wiping the tears from her face and reached under her pillow where she kept the pamphlets from the doctor. Shuffling through them, she handed one to her mom. It was for the Sisters of Quiet Mercy.  

“I think this is the only option. A nice family can give my baby a good home. I can finish the rest of the school year there and then things will be back on track–community college, university. I can still make you and dad proud.”

Mrs. Smith tossed the pamphlet aside without looking at it. She took her daughter’s face in her hands and looked her in the eyes. “We  _ are _ proud of you, Alice. We never meant to make you feel otherwise. I know we complain about everything we had to leave behind in Greendale and move to this godforsaken place, but we never meant you. Even when we sent you to live with your aunt. We were always proud.” Mrs. Smith drew her daughter into her arms.

Alice grabbed onto her mother tightly, thankful for her. This went better than Alice could have imagined. She thought her mom would be disappointed at her for getting pregnant so young, making the same mistake her mother had.

After a few minutes Mrs. Smith pulled back and examined the brochure.  “How soon do you–”

“Tomorrow. I’ll pack a bag in the morning.” Alice just wanted to get away from it all. Hal didn’t want the baby and FP didn’t want either of them. It was better to disappear.

“Okay,” Mrs. Smith said slowly. “Why don’t you get some sleep, honey.” She kissed Alice on the forehead and walked toward the door but stopped before going through it. “Alice, are you sure this is what you want? We can figure it out together if you...if you want to keep the baby.”

Alice lay back in her bed and closed her eyes. “I’ll be ready to leave in the morning.”

\----

FP had spent the entire night thinking about Alice, about the future. It was impossible to sleep, and he was bursting with things he wanted to tell her, but she had been so upset earlier—he figured she needed some space. 

In the morning, he left his trailer to go by her house. After the last six hours of tossing and turning, he had it all worked out. He’d leave school, pick up work for the Serpents full time to make some money for food and clothes. Hell, he could even take over watching the baby so Alice can keep going to school like she’d planned. They could have it all. They could be a real family.

Before he left, he put the snake ring he’d bought her in his pocket. It could be a makeshift engagement ring until he saved up enough money for a better one.

The sun was coming up when he arrived at Alice’s house, just in time to see her parents putting the last bags into the trunk of their car and shutting it. When Alice came down the steps, FP called out, a little breathlessly. He’d run the whole way there.

“Alice,” he stepped towards the car. Alice locked eyes with him for a moment, but her face revealed nothing. He smiled hopefully and was about to speak again when she walked past him and slid into the passenger’s seat of the car, closing the door.

“Wait,” he said softly, taking a few steps forward as Mrs. Smith hopped into the driver’s seat. Then the car began to pull away, leaving FP alone in front of their trailer. He watched as it grew smaller and smaller, until it turned a corner and disappeared.

“Stay.”


End file.
